News

Through an initiative by the Cumberland County Board of Freeholders and in cooperation with the National Association of Counties (NACo), fifty-five thousand households in Cumberland County will soon find much needed good news in their mailboxes. All county residents will receive a prescription drug discount card at no charge. The cards are ready for immediate use as there are no enrollment fees, no forms to fill out, no age or income requirements and no medical condition restrictions. It’s as simple as putting the card in your wallet and presenting it to a pharmacy.

“We’re rolling out the next wave of prescription discount cards that will put savings directly in the hands of our county residents,” explained Cumberland County Freeholder Director Louis N. Magazzu. In conjunction with the Cumberland County Health Department, the program was initially made available in 2007 through doctors’ offices, social service agencies, pharmacies and churches. Since then, the total number of card uses has grown from 3 to 7,750 over 15 months, averaging about 650 per month over the last 8 months.

The discount card program was designed for all uninsured and insured county residents as a way to provide them with a savings that can be as much as 20 percent off the list price. For those residents who have prescription insurance, they can present their insurance card and the county prescription drug discount card to their pharmacist to determine which card offers the better discount.
 
The savings generated by the discount card has put in excess of $20,000 per month back into the pockets of county residents over the last five months. Magazzu urges residents to open the envelopes and use the cards.

Nancy Egan, Community Services Supervisor, Cumberland County Health Department, who has been coordinating the dissemination of the cards, affirms the economic impact of the program. “The beauty of the discount card program is that it puts money back into the economy as residents can make other purchases with the money they save on prescription medications.”

A list of participating pharmacies can be found at www.caremark.com/naco, the Health Department at (856) 327-7602 or at 1-877-321-2652.