Cabarrus County’s free prescription drug discount card program has experienced a 545 percent increase in participation since the program started in March 2008.
In June, 818 residents used the drug discount cards at local pharmacies to receive average savings of 26 percent per prescription. As of June 30, 4,381 prescriptions have been filled through this program.
Cabarrus County is making free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo).
Cabarrus County is the sixth-largest user of the program among the 58 North Carolina counties that participate in this free program.
The cards may be used by all county residents, regardless of age, income or existing health coverage and are accepted at 90 percent of pharmacies in the county.
A national network of more than 59,000 participating retail pharmacies also will honor the NACo prescription discount card.
The NACo prescription discount card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of Cabarrus County. Even those who have prescription coverage can use the card to save money on drugs that are not covered by their health plan, including medications for pets. Residents do not have to be Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible for this program.
There is no enrollment form, no membership fee and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use. County residents can pick up a card at a participating pharmacy and begin using it immediately. The prescription discount card is not insurance. Cardholders and their family members may use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance.
There is no cost to county taxpayers for NACo and Cabarrus County to make these prescription discount cards available to residents. Cards will be available at many pharmacy counters throughout the county. Cards also may be picked up at Cabarrus Community Health Center, Community Free Clinic, Cabarrus County Senior Center and its four LunchPlus Club locations, all Cabarrus County public libraries and Cabarrus County Department of Social Services.
For more information, log onto www.cabarruscounty .us/drugcard. County residents can call toll free 1-877-321-2652 or visit www. caremark.com/naco for assistance with the program. The discount card program is administered by Caremark Rx Inc.