San Mateo County To Launch Drug Discount Cards for All Residents
San Mateo County recently announced plans to roll out a prescription drug discount program at participating pharmacies, the Contra Costa Times reports.
Starting next month, the county will make "Coast2Coast" drug discount cards available for all residents. Although the cards cannot be used in conjunction with health insurance, insured residents can use the cards to obtain discounts on drugs that are not covered under their health plan.
The cards are offered by Financial Marketing Concepts, which negotiated with pharmacies to obtain the lower prices on more than 60,000 different drugs. Company officials said the cards will reduce retail drug prices by an average of 38%.
FMC agreed to pay the county a royalty of 60 to 75 cents for each prescription filled using the discount drug cards. Officials estimate that the program could help bring in about $90,000 annually for the county (Bishop, Contra Costa Times, 11/20). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.