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Douglas County is a member of the National Association of Counties. One of the benefits of membership is a discount program for medical prescriptions. Participating in the program is free for all residents of Douglas County.
This is not an insurance program like Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. But if you are currently uninsured, or you use prescribed drugs that are not covered by your insurance plan, this program may help lower the cost of your prescriptions.
NACO contracts with a national company called Caremark, which actually runs the discount program. Caremark runs a very large pharmaceuticals services program and is able to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.
These cost savings will be passed on to you if you have a prescription drug card and your prescription is not covered by insurance.
Caremark estimates that the average savings is 20 percent of retail cost, depending on the drug and quantity purchased. They also provide a mail prescription service for long-term prescriptions.
There is no cost to enroll in the program and there is no membership fee, but you do need a discount card. To get the card is easy. Simply log onto the Douglas County Health Department website at http://www.co.douglas.or.us/health/ and scroll down to the Hot Topics section of the page. You will see a red rectangle that says NACO Prescription Discount Card Program. Clicking on that rectangle will take you to the Caremark site.
If you follow the directions on the site you will soon be printing out your own discount card, and you may use it immediately.
On the site you can search the list of participating pharmacies in Douglas County. The one you now use is very likely participating in this program. You can also search their drug data base to see the approximate discounted cost of your prescription, sign up for mail order, get information about drug interactions, and get detailed information about how the program works.
If you can't print a card, please stop by any of the Douglas County Health Department facilities. They have preprinted cards that they will be happy to give you, and will answer your questions about the program.
In today's economy, any time we can save money and stay healthy, it's worth looking into.
Susan Morgan is a Douglas County commissioner. She welcomes your questions or comments and may be reached by email at morgan@co.douglas.or.us; by mail at Douglas County Courthouse, Room 217, 1036 S.E. Douglas Ave., Roseburg, OR 97470; or by phone at 440-4201.
This is not an insurance program like Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. But if you are currently uninsured, or you use prescribed drugs that are not covered by your insurance plan, this program may help lower the cost of your prescriptions.
NACO contracts with a national company called Caremark, which actually runs the discount program. Caremark runs a very large pharmaceuticals services program and is able to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.
These cost savings will be passed on to you if you have a prescription drug card and your prescription is not covered by insurance.
Caremark estimates that the average savings is 20 percent of retail cost, depending on the drug and quantity purchased. They also provide a mail prescription service for long-term prescriptions.
There is no cost to enroll in the program and there is no membership fee, but you do need a discount card. To get the card is easy. Simply log onto the Douglas County Health Department website at http://www.co.douglas.or.us/health/ and scroll down to the Hot Topics section of the page. You will see a red rectangle that says NACO Prescription Discount Card Program. Clicking on that rectangle will take you to the Caremark site.
If you follow the directions on the site you will soon be printing out your own discount card, and you may use it immediately.
On the site you can search the list of participating pharmacies in Douglas County. The one you now use is very likely participating in this program. You can also search their drug data base to see the approximate discounted cost of your prescription, sign up for mail order, get information about drug interactions, and get detailed information about how the program works.
If you can't print a card, please stop by any of the Douglas County Health Department facilities. They have preprinted cards that they will be happy to give you, and will answer your questions about the program.
In today's economy, any time we can save money and stay healthy, it's worth looking into.
Susan Morgan is a Douglas County commissioner. She welcomes your questions or comments and may be reached by email at morgan@co.douglas.or.us; by mail at Douglas County Courthouse, Room 217, 1036 S.E. Douglas Ave., Roseburg, OR 97470; or by phone at 440-4201.
