Residents take advantage of new drug discount card offered by the county

About 100 Cape Girardeau County residents have used the free prescription drug discount card since it was issued by the county last November.

Sponsored by the National Association of Counties, the card is intended to help uninsured and under-insured residents.

Local officials says they aren't receiving a lot of feedback from residents. "I haven't heard much about it, maybe a few calls and questions," said County Clerk Rodney Miller. "It has to take time to grow on residents."

NACo reports that county users of the card saved more than $2,168 on 191 prescriptions filled in November and December.

The total average savings is about 21 percent per prescription filled, said Andrew Goldschmidt, NACo director of membership marketing. The national average savings is 20 percent per prescription.

"There's been some good activity in Cape County," he said. Nationally, Goldschmidt said NACo has received tremendous positive feedback about the card.

NACo signed a three-year contract with Caremark/AdvancePCS, one of the country's largest pharmaceutical services companies, to administer the program.

The card cannot be used in conjunction with drug discount benefits received through a medical insurance plan. Prescription drugs not covered by insurance can be purchased with the card.

Cards may be used by all county residents regardless of age, income or existing health coverage and are accepted at 20 pharmacies in Cape Girardeau and Jackson.

"Large or small, it's a savings for the residents," said Cape Girardeau County 1st District Associate Commissioner Larry Bock. "And the cost for the card is nothing."

Jackson Wal-Mart pharmacist Sarah Dovin said several customers used the card when it was first released, but usage dwindled after the first of the year.

The customers didn't have any problems using the cards, Dovin said. "We've had a variety of people who have used them, from someone in their mid-20s to a person in their 60s. It was a very broad spectrum of people using them. It seemed as if the cards did save them money."

Other area pharmacists still say their prices are less than the actual savings from using the card.

"We have not really seen them," said Jim Tilghman, pharmacist at Broadway Prescriptions in Cape Girardeau. "Local Cape pharmacies are so competitive with the Wal-Marts and Walgreens that most of time our prices are cheaper."

Increase in participation

Goldschmidt said the number of counties participating in the program has increased since November. More than 200 counties nationwide are currently participating, which is up from 150 counties in November.

Since November, two additional Missouri counties, Nodaway and Shannon, have joined the prescription discount program. Six counties are issuing the cards.

While Cape Girardeau County officials see the program as helpful for residents, commissioners in Bollinger and Scott counties are still questioning the benefits.

"After consulting the pharmacists in our county, we didn't really see any savings from it," said Bollinger County Presiding Commissioner Wayne Johnson. "I'm not going to say we're not going to join in. If we do see there is savings, we'll probably join."

Scott County Presiding Commissioner Martin Priggel said the county isn't planning on joining NACo's program.

"We've gotten several opinions about it, and they have not been favorable," he said.

Local pharmacists have said Cape Girardeau County's elderly residents will save more by enrolling in one of the more than 40 Medicare-approved prescription programs than by using the card.

Residents age 65 and older or those who are disabled can enroll in any one of the new Medicare drug plans through May 15 and receive full benefits.

Wednesday the Missouri Department of Social Services announced plans to assist individuals who previously had prescription coverage under Medicaid and have been unable to access prescription coverage under Medicare Part D.

The Medicare Part D Emergency Override Program was implemented to temporarily restore the Department of Social Service's administered Medicaid prescription drug coverage in critical cases where access to the federal program can not be met. Individuals must be eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

Individuals who previously had prescription coverage under Medicaid were to have been automatically enrolled in a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan by the federal government.

"This is a huge undertaking to transistion all of the seniors over into the federal program," said Deborah Scott, Department of Social Service's spokeswoman. "Unfortunately, some seniors can't be found in the Medicare system. We needed an emergency program that will put these people back on Medicaid until they get this straightened out."

Scott said individuals should work through their pharmacy to access the emergency assistance.