Drug cost reliefWhat’s the catch? That’s the obvious question from Rowan County residents upon learning they now can get a drug discount card that will save them an average of 20 percent off prescriptions, free of charge. There’s no catch, just some fine print. While any county resident can get one of the cards, the discounts apply to drugs not already covered by an insurance plan. That means they don’t provide an additional discount for drugs purchased through the Medicare prescription drug plan, for instance, or covered by a private insurer. The county discount program is designed to help those who need help the most ó residents who lack any sort of prescription drug coverage, or who may be on an expensive medication that’s currently not covered by a particular plan.
Credit Commissioner Jon Barber with taking the initiative to research the plan and help implement it in Rowan County. We’re now among dozens of N.C. counties enrolled in the program, which is administered by Caremark through the National Association of Counties and has expanded to states across the country. With the escalating cost of health care, residents need all the help they can get, and the discount card offers the possibility of some painless relief ó no strings, no enrollment fee, no confusing formularies or cumbersome paperwork.