Statewide Prescription Assistance Program Offers a Prescription to High Healthcare Costs
The Centers for Disease Control reports that Americans spend more on prescription drugs than people in any other country: some $45 billion in out-of-pocket dollars in the last year alone. With that in mind, the Pennsylvania Drug Card is reminding health care providers that their patients who aren’t insured or who take prescription drugs that aren’t covered by their health insurance plans, can use the Pennsylvania Drug Card to obtain discounts of up to 80 percent off the retail price for brand and generic FDA-approved medications.
The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (GPCC) has been working closely with Pennsylvania Drug Card to distribute free discount prescription cards to all Pennsylvanians. The goal of the partnership is to provide additional card distribution channels and create awareness so that all residents will have access to this free statewide prescription assistance program. Pennsylvania Drug Card was launched to help the uninsured and underinsured residents afford their prescription medications. The program can also be used by people that have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits, which is common in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans.
“We’re very proud to partner with Pennsylvania Drug Card to help the residents in our region have access to affordable prescription medications that otherwise could be out of reach,” said Rob Wonderling, President & CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Another unique component of the program is their preferred pharmacy option. Pennsylvania Drug Card has chosen Acme Sav-On Pharmacy, Target, K-Mart, Weis, Giant Eagle, Pathmark and Superfresh Pharmacies as their preferred pharmacies so that residents who don’t have access to a computer and can’t obtain a hard card, can visit any Acme Sav-On Pharmacy, Target, K-Mart, Weis, Giant Eagle, Pathmark or Superfresh Pharmacy to have their prescriptions processed through Pennsylvania Drug Card. Residents can simply reference “Pennsylvania Drug Card” to have their prescription processed through the program. Pennsylvania Drug Card is accepted at over 56,000 participating regional and national pharmacies.
“We strongly believe that this is an easy and innovative way to help the residents of Pennsylvania find affordable prescription options,” states Program Development Director, Kerry Shaw. Pennsylvania Drug Card has helped residents save over $68 million since its inception in December 2008. You can help by encouraging your patients to print a free Pennsylvania Drug Card at www.PennsylvaniaDrugCard.com. Pennsylvania Drug Card is also available as an app for iPhone and Android. You can search “Free Rx iCard” in the app store. Any physicians who are interested in ordering free cards for their clinic/hospital can email Kerry Shaw, Program Development Director, at kshaw@padrugcard.com.
