The county will make free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo) that offers average savings of 20 percent off the retail price of commonly prescribed drugs.
The cards may be used by all county residents, regardless of age, income or existing health coverage. An estimated 100 percent of the county's pharmacies will accept the NACo card, and a national network of more than 57,000 participating retail pharmacies will also honor it.
"County residents who have prescription coverage also can save money by using the card for drugs that their health plan doesn't cover," Commissioner Deborah Mack said. "But this program is really beneficial for people who are underinsured or uninsured, and they do not have to be in the Medicare program to participate."
There will be no cost to county taxpayers for NACo and Hall County to make the money-saving cards available to residents. A future announcement will specify how and when residents may obtain the cards.
"The NACo discount card can be used by any family members of the cardholder, and participating pharmacies will honor it any time drugs are not covered by insurance," Mack said. "It's easy to present the card, which has no limits on how often it may be used, and there is no membership fee or enrollment form."
The discount card program is administered by Caremark Rx Inc.
Deborah Mack
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/7/211296