“California’s FREE Discount Prescription Drug Card Program”

SACRAMENTO, Calif – California residents have saved over $26.2 million on prescription drugs through California Rx Card since the launch of the free statewide prescription assistance program. The program, which offers free discount drug cards to California residents, was launched in October, 2007. Every resident of California is eligible to participate in the program. There are no restrictions to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations, no waiting periods, and there are no applications to fill out.

California Rx Card was launched to help the uninsured and underinsured residents of California afford their prescription medications. However, the program can also be used by people that have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits, which is common in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans. Additionally, people who have prescription coverage can use this program for non-formulary or non-covered drugs. This includes people enrolled in Medicare Part D.

Healthcare is such an important topic in America today. We have taken advantage of this window of opportunity to create awareness and provide prescription assistance to thousands of Californians, states Program Director, Edward J. Brown III. We are committed to providing all residents of California with the help they need to be able to afford their medications.

Anyone residing or working in California can download a FREE discount drug card by visiting www.CaliforniaRxCard.com. Anyone not able to access the website, or otherwise obtain a member card, can simply visit any CVS/pharmacy or Longs Drug Store location in California and ask the pharmacist to process their prescription through California Rx Card. The card offers pharmacy discounts at more than 50,000 drug stores around the country. California residents can download a free card, search drug pricing, and locate participating pharmacies at www.CaliforniaRxCard.com.

Tue Dec 11, 2007

Thousands of Californians Receive Free Prescription Drug Card Since California Rx Card Launched Oct. 1

ORANGE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--The California Rx Card Program (www.californiarxcard.com) announced today that more than 55,000 Californians have received a free prescription drug card since the program launched Oct. 1. The California Rx Card can be used at thousands of pharmacies across the state to receive savings of up to 75 percent (savings average around 30 percent). Participating pharmacies include Rite Aid, Walgreens, Albertsons, K-mart, Longs Drug Stores, Ralphs Pharmacy, Sav-on, other chain drug stores, and thousands of independent pharmacies.

California residents can download a free discount prescription drug card by visiting www.californiarxcard.com. The California Rx Card Program has no restrictions or participation requirements and is open to every California resident.

"The California Rx Card was launched to help the uninsured and under-insured people of California afford prescription medications," said Edward J. Brown III, California Rx Card Program director. "The program can also be used by people who have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits (common in many HSAs and high deductible health plans). Also, people who have prescription coverage can use this program for non-formulary or non-covered drugs. This program even covers some pet medications (those available at participating pharmacies)."

Orange County, Calif.-based The Word & Brown Companies (CHOICE Administrators(R), which includes CaliforniaChoice(R), CaliforniaChoice 51+, Kaiser Permanente Choice Solution and Contractors Choice(R); The Word & Brown General Agency, and CONEXIS) is sponsoring The California Rx Card Program throughout the state.

"We work with insurance brokers to distribute quality and affordable healthcare programs to California employers and we know there is still a large population of uninsured people in the state," said Edward J. "Rusty" Brown, Jr., co-founder of The Word & Brown Companies. "We think the California Rx Card can make a big difference for people who have limited insurance benefits or no insurance at all, and we want to do our part to help make affordable prescription drugs available."

We're excited to have the opportunity to work with The Word & Brown Companies to provide the people of California with free access to prescription discounts," said Ryan Jumonville, president and chief executive officer of United Networks of America. "We've successfully launched programs in New York, Alabama, Texas, New Jersey, Ohio, Utah, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, and Tennessee. We've saved the residents of these states millions of dollars and look forward to doing the same for the people of California."

This program is powered by UNA Rx Card, which is a division of United Networks of America. UNA Rx Card is the fastest-growing discount prescription card company in the United States. Brian Oliver, executive vice president of UNA Rx Card, noted that "The free Rx program has brought almost $66 million in prescription savings to members around the country in the short history of the program, with calendar year savings for 2007 projected to approach $100 million."

7/25/2008 Fresno, CA (KFSN) – A new prescription drug card program gives Californians discounts of up to 75% percent at pharmacies statewide.

The California Drug Card program is different from government and other private discount programs because it is not limited to low-income people or senior citizens.

Anyone is eligible, regardless of income, membership or age.

The free card can be downloaded and printed by logging onto a web site.

November 6th, 2008

The California RX Card is making a big push to encourage residents to sign up for free discounts on a host of drugs. The program administered by United Networks of America but the discounts are funded by the pharmaceutical industry. The card offers discounts of 10 to 75 percent and is accepted at major pharmacies including CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

Foothill Ranch resident Adam Vu used the card to fill a pain-killer prescription for his back after losing health insurance when he was in between jobs. "I went online. I simply took it to a pharmacy and got a discount. It was very easy."

At californiarxcard.com, you can look up drugs and how much they cost with the discount. All you have to do is enter your name and print the card. If you don't have Internet access, a participating pharmacy (see above) can sign you up. The card is for drugs not covered by insurance. No discount applies on co-pays.

Pharmacies that offer $4 generics, such as Wal-Mart and Target, don't participate in the program. The RX Card savings are most substantial for brand-name drugs.

December 12, 2007

Between ever-increasing tuition fees, new textbooks for the spring semester, rent and record-high gas prices, paying for prescription drugs can seem impossible for a sick college student with a part-time job. However, there are many cheaper alternatives available for those with no insurance or expensive co-pays.

The California Rx Card program, which launched Oct. 1, provides free discount prescription drug cards to any resident of California. The cards can be downloaded at www.californiarxcard.com, and can be used at many local pharmacies, including Rite Aid, Walgreens, Longs Drugs, Target and Save Mart.

Edward Brown, program director for California Rx Card, said that the card can save users up to 75 percent on certain prescription drugs, with average savings of about 30 percent. The program is funded directly through pharmaceutical companies, which decide what kinds of discounts can be given on what drugs.

Brown said that there are 6.7 million documented people in California who are uninsured.

"[The program] is designed mainly for the uninsured. However, a lot of underinsured residents are using it as well," Brown said. "If someone does have coverage ... [but] doesn't have prescription drug benefits, they can use a California Rx Card in place of that."

Brown believes the program can be especially beneficial to college students.

"There are struggling students at every school who don't have insurance, who are ... just getting by," he said.

The University Health Center also provides an inexpensive solution for Fresno State students. The Health Center pharmacy provides prescription medication to students at cost. All students need to take advantage of all that the pharmacy offers is a Fresno State ID card.

Tom Blagg, the pharmacist-in-charge at the Health Center, said that many prescriptions can be filled at the university pharmacy for $4 to $5, while insurance co-pays may charge upwards of $20 to $40.

Students who have insurance can still bring their outside prescriptions to be filled at the Health Center pharmacy. The pharmacy also carries over-the-counter medicine like Tylenol and Midol. They can even special order prescription medications that they don't carry in stock.

"We try to take care of the prescription needs if they have a unique situation," Blagg said.

Consumer Reports also has tips for people in search of cheaper medication. The magazine recommends that consumers switch from brand name drugs to generic drugs when possible, and buy over the counter medications such as Claritin instead of using a prescription allergy medicine like Zyrtec.

When looking to get an expensive prescription filled, students should know their options. A good course of action for students in need of prescription medications would be to compare prices before making a decision of where they will get their prescription filled.

The California Rx Card Web site has a link to a Web site where students can look up the cost of their medication. They can then go to the University Health Center to find out how much the same medication will cost them there.

January 08, 2011

The California Rx Card Program announced last Thursday that since it began in 2007, it has saved California families almost $70 million on their prescriptions. Over five million prescriptions were filled at over thirty participating chains (both national and local) as well as numerous independent pharmacies all over the state.

Edward J. Brown III is program director of the program and said in a press release, "The California Rx Card helps uninsured and underinsured residents of California afford their prescription medications." He went on to say, "It is also used by people with health insurance coverage without prescription benefits, which is common in many health savings accounts (HSA) and high deductible health plans."

No one is ineligible for the California Rx Card program. A free card can be obtained by downloading from www.CaliforniaRxCard.com or simply by walking into a participating pharmacy and asking for the discount. If everyone is eligible, can everyone benefit? How many prescription programs cover every drug and how many people can afford them?

Suppose I'm a retired 66 year old person on low or limited income. I'm covered by Medicare and MediCal (California's version of Medicaid), and due to my low income get additional help under Medicare Part D. Still, there will eventually be certain drugs not covered. When that happens, the California Rx Card will help. No matter if the drug is not available in generic or not, if it isn't covered by all the other plans, the CRxCard still averages savings of about 30% with some discounts up to 75%. (These discounts apply to average wholesale prices and/or the store's usual and customary retail price.)

This program is not unique to California. The CaliforniaRxCard site states that it is administered by both United Networks of America and the UNA Rx Card. All three sites name thirty-three national chains participating in the program, including regional chains like Winn Dixie and the big boxes like Target and Walmart. In addition to the prescription drug card, United Networks also has programs for dental plans, cosmetic surgery, vision centers, health clubs, weight loss, diabetic, hearing, wellness, and a doctor on call program.

Over 50,000 pharmacies participate in this discount card program nationwide. Log on and get your free card or ask about it the next time you visit your drug store. Join Californians in reaping the benefits of these helpful discounts.

April 25, 2011

The 59-year-old Save Mart supermarket chain more than doubled its store count in 2007 with the purchase of 132 Albertsons stores, but entered something of a dormant period since then. Save Mart now operates 241 stores in California and Nevada, down from a peak of 255 in 2009, and 114 in-store pharmacies, down from 115 in 2009.

But despite the recession-induced lull in growth, it continues to launch innovative new programs, such as the "19-minute promise." The unique program gives customers who have to wait longer than 19 minutes for a prescription to be filled a free "dinner and a movie" in the form a $10 gift card for a food purchase and a free movie coupon for DVD rentals at its Redbox kiosks.

Save Mart said the offer is designed to show that its pharmacies "are faster than some of our competition" and can have a prescription filled in the time it takes for a customer to drop off their prescription, do their shopping and return to pick it up.

"It's another program that creates more value for our customers and lets them know we care about customer service," said Robert Vaughan, Save Mart's senior director of pharmacy operations. "We know our customers' time is valuable, and we stand behind that commitment." Before launching the program, all Save Mart stores were integrated on a common software platform, and some higher-volume stores implemented robotic filling systems.

For cost-conscious shoppers, Save Mart has its own Top Care private-label brand of over-the-counter products at prices lower than most name brands. Pharmacies also accept prescription assistance program cards, including the Nevada Drug Card and the California Rx card, which provide discounts to customers during hard economic times. And Save Mart publishes a free quarterly magazine called In Good Health that offers customers helpful hints on maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

by Rose Greene, CFP on October 18, 2010

Rose Greene Financial Services is always conscientious when it comes to saving you money. As a resident of California, you and your family have access to a free prescription drug card program. The link below will take you to a safe website where you'll be able to download your official California RX Card for yourself and any family member.

Posted by Shirley Huston in Health Care on May 19th, 2008

There was a program launched in 2007 that offers huge discounts in prescription costs. The California Rx Card Program is for all California residents and can save many people as much as 75% on prescriptions.

As a resident of California, you and your family have access to a FREE Prescription Drug Card program. Simply download your Prescription Drug Card and receive savings of up to 75% at more than 50,000 national and regional pharmacies. You may create as many cards as you need. Participating pharmacies include the following: CVS/pharmacy, Walgreen's, Rite Aid, and K-Mart, as well as thousands of independent pharmacies.

Just go to www.californiarxcard.com/, enter your name and e-mail address and they will generate a printable membership card for you. This card is pre-activated and can be used immediately.

This program is available to the uninsured. So if you or a relative have a prescription that you have to pay out of pocket for, be sure to ask about this program. I went to CVS last weekend and asked about it. They knew exactly what I was talking about. My brand name prescription was only $144 under the program instead of the $224 I usually pay. What a difference!

HBS supports The California Rx Card Program, a free prescription drug card program for California residents.

The California Rx Card Program, launched in 2007, helps the uninsured and underinsured people of California afford prescription medications. Since inception, it has saved Californians more than $1.2 million on prescription medications by reducing their prescription costs up to 75%.

The program can be used by all Californians on thousands of brand-name and generic medications. Discounts are available through Albertsons, CVS/pharmacy, K-mart, Longs Drug Stores, Ralphs Pharmacy, Rite Aid, Sav-on, and Walgreens, among other chain and independent pharmacies. Further, there are no age or income requirements.

On behalf of the HBS, we invite you to learn more about this program by visiting www.californiarxcard.com

January 3, 2012