United Way offers drug discount cards

The Daily Inter Lake

The local United Way is sponsoring a free prescription drug discount plan in Flathead, Glacier, Lake, Lincoln and Sanders counties called FamilyWize.

The program gives an average savings of up to 30 percent on prescription drugs to individuals and families with no prescription drug coverage.

The free FamilyWize discount card is available through the United Way, its member agencies and local pharmacies. The goal is to reduce the cost of medicine for children, families and individuals by $100 million nationwide.

The FamilyWize community service partnership was established in 2005 in Pennsylvania. More than 25,000 community and faith-based organizations, agencies, doctors, pharmacies, companies and individuals across the country have now joined. As of March, 14 million FamilyWize prescription discount cards had been distributed.

The savings on the cost of the medicine is provided by the more than 53,000 participating local pharmacies that have agreed to accept prices for medications that are close to the prices paid by large insurance companies and employers.

All funding for the program is provided by part of the processing fee that is included in the cost of medicines paid at the time of purchase and by donations and reduced costs from the program sponsors.

No application is required, no personal information is collected and there are no eligibility, income, age or residency restrictions.

The cards can be used at 95 percent of pharmacies in the United States, including all major chains, and covers all prescription medicine, with the biggest discounts on generics. It also includes pet medicines requiring a prescription when purchased at a pharmacy.

For more information, call the United Way at 752-7266 or toll-free at 888-720-7266.