Drug Discount Cards May Not Be Full Answer

MANAGED CARE November 2001. ©MediMedia USA

A fair number of consumers have turned to discount prescription cards to help pay for medications but the value of these cards is in doubt.

While some boast savings of up to 40 percent of retail prices, many are targeted at generic drugs and not brand-name products. As a result, consumers may obtain moderate, but not dramatic, savings.

"Cards often do better for one type of drug or one specific group of drugs, and not so well for others," Becky Derby, a senior policy analyst at Health Care for All in Boston tells the Springfield Union-News. "People need to compare different cards, and select one based on their own needs and medications."