By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
TUSCOLA COUNTY — Membership really does have its privileges and advantages.
Because Tuscola County is a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo), the county is able to participate in a partnership with CVS Caremark which provides a free prescription discount card exclusively to NACo member counties to offer residents.
The program provides discounts for residents who qualify for prescription discounts.
The free program provides discounts for residents who are uninsured and underinsured. There is no cost for the program and no forms to fill out, no age or income requirements, and no medical condition restrictions. The card can be used anytime a prescription is not covered by insurance.
Tuscola County Commissioners started offering NACo’s CVS Caremark program in June 2009.
Since that time, the Prescription Discount Card Program has saved the county’s residents over $370,000 on prescription costs, noted former county commissioner Jerry Peterson of Vassar, who was a NACo member when he served on the board.
The prescription card has been used 11,139 times in Tuscola County. The average cost savings each time the card was used was 36 percent, which is higher than the national average savings of 24 percent with other programs.
A family in Tuscola County without medical insurance that incurs prescription costs of $4,000 could save $1,400 or more annually using the card.
There are over 60,000 pharmacies nationwide that accept the card. NACo’s prescription drug card is accepted at the following pharmacies in Tuscola County: the Caro Center, Caro Drugs, Coach Light Pharmacy, Manley’s Pharmacy, McLaren Drug Shop, Rite Aid Pharmacy, State Street Pharmacy, VG’s Pharmacy, Wal-Mart, and Wingert’s Pharmacy.
The cards are available at the H.H. Purdy Building, 125 W. Lincoln St., Caro, and by calling (989) 672-3700, at participating pharmacies, libraries, hospitals and doctor offices in Tuscola County, or can be printed directly from www.nacorx.org.
Also, more information my be found by calling 1-877-321-2652 or at the Web site ww.nacorx.org as well as participating pharmacy and a price estimated on the prescription.
Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.
