CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners will launch a drug discount program beginning March 1 to help county residents cope with the high price of prescription drugs. The county is making free prescription drug discount cards available under a program sponsored by the National Association of Counties 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, and are accepted at 18 pharmacies in Clearfield County. A national network of more than 57,000 participating retail pharmacies honor the NACo prescription discount card. The participating Clearfield County pharmacies are throughout the county with 5 in Clearfield, 1 in Coalport, 1 in Curwensville, 10 in DuBois and 1 in Houtzdale. (For a complete list of participating pharmacies, see below.)
“Clearfield County is proud to participate with NACo to offer the NACo prescription discount card to the citizens of the county” stated Chairman Rex Read.
“The NACo prescription card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of our county, and even those who have prescription coverage can use the card to save money on drugs that are not covered by their health plan. Residents do not have to be Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible for this program.” said Commissioner Mark McCracken.
“We are pleased to be able to provide this savings for our residents.” added Commissioner Mike Lytle.
Cards will be available beginning March 1 at the Clearfield County Courthouse and Annex, DuBois City Hall, the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging main office, all Area Agency on Aging senior centers and other locations to be announced. County residents can stop by one of the locations and pickup a card on or after March 1. Using the NACo prescription discount card is easy. The consumer will simply present the card at one of the 18 participating pharmacies in Clearfield County. There are no enrollment forms, no membership fees and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use. Cardholders and their family members may use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance. County residents can call toll-free 877-321-2652 or visit them online for assistance with the program.
The discount card program is available at no cost to county taxpayers and is administered by Caremark Rx Inc.
The commissioners will receive a monthly report on the amount of money saved by county residents.
The discounts on prescription drugs are available because Caremark negotiated with the pharmacies to provide customers with a discount on retail prices. According to Caremark, “Most pharmacies contract to participate because it draws customers to their stores.”
Caremark receives a small fee from the pharmacies for each transaction.
In addition, a few drug manufacturers provide rebates on the discount card program. Caremark shares a portion of the rebate with the customer in the form of additional discounts at the register. Retail pharmacies are reimbursed for this additional discount.
The National Association of Counties is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties. NACo advances issues with a unified voice before the federal government, improves the public’s understanding of county government, assists counties in finding and sharing innovative solutions through education and research, and provides value-added services to save counties and taxpayers money.
Clearfield County Pharmacies Participating In NACo Discount Card Program
Effective March 1, 2007
CLEARFIELD AREA
Clearfield Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy
Rite-Aid Pharmacy
The Medicine Shoppe
Wal-Mart Pharmacy
COALPORT AREA
Leyo’s Pharmacy
DUBOIS AREA
Bi-Lo Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy
Eckerd Drugs
K-Mart Pharmacy
Martin’s Pharmacy
S&S Pharmacy (two locations)
Shankel’s Pharmacy
The Medicine Shoppe
Wal-Mart Pharmacy
HOUTZDALE AREA
Woodward Pharmacy
