On the Bright Side: Otsego residents save over $1 million with prescription drug plan

On the Bright Side

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December 29, 2011

By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer The Daily Star Mon Jan 16, 2012, 11:08 AM EST

A cost-free prescription plan that offers discount rates to participating Otsego County residents who would otherwise pay full price reached a milestone last month, officials involved said Wednesday.

Since the June 2009 start of the county Prescription Drug Discount Card program, residents saved more than $1.5 million through November, according to a media release from the program. This involved more than 44,000 prescriptions filled with an average of 51 percent, or $34.99, savings. The plan also offers residents savings on vision, hearing and LASIK services.

Otsego County officials teamed up with ProAct Inc. to ease the plight of the uninsured and underinsured when purchasing prescriptions. ProAct is a central New York pharmacy benefit management company that is a division of Kinney Drugs.

The county Board of Representatives approved participation, and after a slow start there are 1,500- 1,700 claims being filed each month, county Public Health Director Heidi Bond said. Membership cards were initially mailed to each household and supplied to local pharmacies and various county offices, including County Clerk, Health Department and Social Services, she said.

Residents with computer access can print a card by at www.NYRxDiscountCard.com.

“We are well aware that prescription drug prices are steadily on the rise,” Bond said. “This program has allowed residents, both uninsured and underinsured, to experience financial relief at the pharmacy counter” at no cost to the county, she said.

The county is doing very well with the effort, said ProAct program manager Erison Rodriques. The process started with a presentation at a county meeting. A contract was negotiated primarily for exclusivity so the company can protect its investments, he said.

The service has been exclusively endorsed by 47 counties statewide. Others participating in the area are Delaware, whose population has saved $1.1 million since it started in Feb. 2009, and Schoharie, where the savings has been $157,000 since Nov. 2009. The different rates reflect variations in populations and the amount of businesses in the counties, he said.