Three years after Schenectady County officials unveiled a prescription medication discount program, more than 9,500 claims were filed with an average savings of 41 percent off retail price.
County Legislature Chairwoman Judith Dagostino announced on Thursday, March 15, county residents have saved nearly $2.34 million since the Schenectady County Prescription Drug Discount Card began in March 2009. The program is in partnership with ProAct, Inc., which is a pharmacy benefit management company, and is provided at no cost to the county and residents.
“This program has been more successful than we could have imagined when we introduced the discount card to Schenectady County residents three years ago,” Dagostino said in a prepared statement. “Every little bit of savings has helped during these tight economic times and I look forward to the drug discount card continuing to bring savings to Schenectady County families.”
According to information provided by county officials, the retail cost of prescription medication purchased through the program over three years totaled almost $5.64 million, with the actual cost after savings totaling nearly $3.3 million, or 41 percent.
Joe McQueen, spokesman for the county, said knowing how many people utilize the program is difficult, because there is no personal information tied to each card. Also, one card was sent to every household so several people could be using one card, or individual cards for each person could have been attained. Each card is roughly seen as representing one household.
“The card can be used per household so we don’t know if it is a family of five or it is just a single person using it,” McQueen said. “The way it is set up is that every single resident of the county is in the same group, so that is why none of the cards are personalized.”
The second year of the program saw a 29.5 percent increase in total retail costs of prescriptions purchased, up from almost $1.44 million to over $2 million. The actual costs after savings for the first year was more than $897,000, or a savings around 38 percent. The second year had around 45 percent in savings over retail cost, totaling more than $1.13 million in actual costs.
The third year’s total retail cost of prescriptions purchased remained relatively flat compared to the second year’s growth, with an increase of 5.37 percent. The total savings over retail costs for the third year were more than 40 percent, which totaled $1.27 million in actual costs.
Anywhere from 600 to 1,000 cards are used per month, according to McQueen. Also, he said the number of cards used is “pretty consistent” throughout the program. The discount card was distributed to all Schenectady County households in late February 2009.
“Everybody here has been pretty amazed and were pleasantly surprised that people are using it,” McQueen said. “Three years later it has been pretty significant for the residents.
County Legislator Brian Gordon, D-Niskayuna, said the program displays a significant need for county residents to relieve medical expenses.
“These numbers show that hardworking families need relief from the high cost of prescription drugs,” Gordon said in a prepared statement. “Whether it’s through the Schenectady County Prescription Drug Discount Card or the Schenectady Free Clinic, it is important that we continue to support our uninsured and underinsured families who struggle every day with their healthcare costs.”
The card provides a user with savings between 10 to 50 percent, depending on the medication and brand. The program provides the greatest benefit to residents lacking prescription drug insurance, county officials said, but all county residents are eligible for the program.
There are no income requirements, membership fees or enrollment forms to fill out to receive the card. Also, it can be used for discounts on medication for pets.
The county regularly receives calls from people familiar with the card and wanting one or needing a replacement card, according to McQueen.
Residents can receive a new discount card by contacting the County Legislature at 388-4280, or by visiting the county’s website at www.schenectadycounty.com to print out a card.