City looks to offer prescription drug discount card

By Scott Aust, Journal staff | Tuesday, December 02, 2008

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Rapid City residents without health insurance may soon be able to get a 20 percent discount on prescription medicine, courtesy of the city of Rapid City.

During a recent National League of Cities meeting in Orlando, Fla., city Alderman Malcom Chapman learned of a discount prescription drug card program the NLC is offering to member cities. The program is available through CVS Caremark, a provider of prescription discount cards that has administered these types of programs since 1992.

The cards provide up to a 20 percent discount on prescription drugs for city residents who have no health insurance or traditional pharmacy benefit plan, or need prescriptions not covered by their existing insurance.

Chapman said there is no cost to the city or to residents. CVS Caremark produces and provides the city with discount cards bearing the city’s name and logo.

“It’s no kickback to the city. It’s no kickback to the National League of Cities to do this. In essence, what we’re doing is saving folks who live within the city limits money on medication,” Chapman said. “It’s just done as a benefit to those cities that are member cities of the NLC.”

The card provides:

y An average savings of about 20 percent

y Coverage of all family members

y No limit on how many times the card can be used

y No age or income requirements

y No enrollment or membership fees

“I don’t see any drawback whatsoever on it and I would recommend in a year or 18 months we look back to see how much actual money has been saved by the citizens of Rapid City who use the program,” Chapman said.

To be included in the program, the city applies to CVS Caremark, which then prepares cards by affixing the city logo and name to them. It will take 8 to 10 weeks – until late January to early February – to prepare the cards and launch the program, provided the Rapid City Council approves Monday night.

Chapman said he thinks a community of Rapid City’s size might start with about 6,000 cards. He said the city will need to work out how the cards will be distributed.

“I think the challenge would be, in terms of distribution, that we would put the cards in places where people could get them. Maybe city hall, maybe community health, maybe pharmacies around town,” he said.

Chapman said at least 23 pharmacies would participate in the program, based on information on Caremark’s Web site.

There will not be any special application process to receive a card or to pick one up. The only limit is they can’t be used in conjunction with insurance or other drug plan, unless it’s for a drug not covered under the user’s insurance plan.

“This is just another example of the benefit of Rapid City’s association with the National League of Cities,” Chapman said.

Caremark’s Web site, www.caremark.com/nlc, contains program information and tools to find local participating pharmacies, look up drug prices and access health and wellness information.

Contact Scott Aust at 394-8415, or scott.aust@rapidcityjournal.com