Gila County Supervisor Shirley Dawson introduced to the Board of Supervisors a Prescription Drug Discount Card Program which is sponsored by the National Association of Counties. The program was established by NACO three years ago & has saved consumers more than $60 million dollars.
Gila County joins over 920 other counties across the nation in making the program available to all residents.
The NACO prescription drug discount cards are free to obtain & easy to use. There are no age, health or income restrictions on who can use the cards & there are no registration forms to fill out. The program offers uninsured or underinsured consumers with immediate, at-the-register discounts on their prescription drug purchases through a nationwide network of 57,000 participating pharmacists.
“This program has surpassed all expectations & we are pleased to make it available to our residents,” Dawson stated. She also noted that the average savings has been some 22%. Supervisor Dawson also said, “We have sought ways to help with the ever rising cost of health care & by teaming with NACO we can offer everyone this assistance with their prescriptions. It is an ideal program in that there is no cost to the county, county taxpayers, or consumers to participate in the program. CVS/Caremark negotiates the discounts directly with the pharmacies. Neither NACO nor the participating counties receive any revenue from the program.”
The NACO card cannot be used in conjunction with other prescription drug insurance on any one purchase. However, consumers with insurance are allowed to use the card to purchase prescriptions that are not covered by their insurance.
Supervisor Dawson pointed out, “It will take about 90 days for us to make the program available to all residents. Cards will be available at pharmacies throughout Gila County & at other convenient locations. We hope our residents will find this a savings in their health care costs.”