Discout Cards will help the under-insured
Sunday, July 23, 2006
July 23, 2006
Discount cards will help the under-insured
By SARAH LEMON
Mail Tribune
A nationwide prescription discount program is coming to Jackson County.
About 20,000 drug discount cards issued by the National Association of Counties and Caremark will be available starting Monday at more than 20 locations around the county, said Hank Collins, director of Jackson County Health and Human Services. The cards, which cannot be used in combination with insurance, grant an average 20 percent discount on prescription drugs filled at participating pharmacies, Collins said.
"I tested it out and took it to a couple different pharmacies, and the savings were significant," Collins said.
There is no cost to the county or residents, Collins said. More than 57,000 pharmacies nationwide accept the card, including most chain pharmacies and many independent operations. The card is useful when a Medicare Part D plan doesn't cover a drug, Collins said.
Caremark negotiates with pharmacies to offer a discount from their retail prices, and most pharmacies contract with Caremark because it draws customers, according to program pamphlets. Caremark's profits are derived from a fee the pharmacy pays on each transaction.
"It offers one more resource in a complex issue," said Peg Crowley, executive director of Community Health Center, one of Southern Oregon's medical safety nets for the uninsured.
The cards are not issued to any one person and can be used for multiple members of a family, Collins said. The discount could make a real difference for those who are under-insured, a widening demographic, Crowley said. They also could be used in lieu of insurance for patients trying to obtain a 90-day supply of medication when their insurance only allows a month's supply, she added.
Jackson is the fourth Oregon county to participate in the program. Coos and Wallowa counties have been distributing the prescription discount cards since late last year. Hood River county joined the effort in May, according to data maintained by the National Association of Counties.
So far, prescription savings in those three counties have totaled more than $180,000, and users saved an average of 24 percent, according to the program's online reporting system. More than 1,000 Coos County residents have used the card, compared with about 100 in Wallowa.
About one in six Oregonians do not have health insurance, Collins said. In Jackson County, the number is about 35,000 — including 3,000 children, Crowley said.
Prescription discount cards will be available at the offices of Jackson County Health and Human Services, Community Health Center, La Clinica del Valle and all 15 branches of the county library. They will be replenished as needed, Collins said.
Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail slemon@mailtribune.com.
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