Prescription cards get use in Saratoga County
By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer, Times Union
October 1, 2009
BALLSTON SPA -- In the weeks since the ProAct discount card for prescription drugs was mailed to approximately 91,000 Saratoga County residents, the cards have been used to fill 762 prescriptions.
The county Board of Supervisors voted in March to allow Health Direct Institutional Pharmacy Services to distribute the cards throughout the county, and they arrived in early September with an endorsement from Chairman Art Johnson, R-Wilton.
The free card is meant to help the uninsured who have to buy prescription drugs out of pocket. The card does not provide a discount on co-pays, although people with high-deductible insurance plans can use them until the their deductible has been met.
"Every time you would pay cash for a prescription, that is a time to use the card," said Mike Maenza, a representative from Health Direct, a division of Kinney Drugs.
Maenza addressed questions before the board earlier this month. He said card users may save 10 to 20 percent on brand name drugs and 50 to 70 percent on generic drugs.
The cards do not contain any identifying information, only a member number that Health Direct uses to track usage.
In addition to medications for people, the card may be used to fill pet prescriptions, Maenza said, although the prescriptions must be filled at a drugstore, not a veterinarian's office.
The cost is underwritten by drugstores, Maenza said. The idea is to draw customers who will buy other items in the store along with their prescription medications.
Health Direct operates in 23 counties. Maenza said cardholders use their cards 1,500 times per month to fill 3,000 prescriptions for savings of $100,000 per month or $1.2 million per year.
The response in Saratoga County is better than Maenza expected, he said Monday.
"We're seeing increased usage across the state," Maenza said. "It makes sense given the number of people who are losing their jobs and health insurance.''
For more information about the ProAct card, go to http://www.proactrx.com/discount_card.php
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