Even though Joanne had health insurance through her work, not all of her son’s expensive medications were covered. The costs were overwhelming, and Joanne wasn’t sure where to turn. As she was leaving her son’s doctor’s office one day, she noticed a flyer for a free SingleCare discount card. Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to try, Joanne took one and used it the next time she picked up prescriptions at the pharmacy.
The card ended up saving her a lot of money, even on the prescriptions covered in part by her insurance!
challenges
23% of Americans take their medication less often than prescribed because of the cost. Not taking a prescribed medication can lead to pain and discomfort, and can cause a problem to become even worse, requiring more medical attention and even more bills. This vicious cycle goes beyond the patient and impacts the larger community. While there are many programs to help people afford other necessities like food, oftentimes folks have trouble finding help affording their prescriptions.
Non-adherence to prescribed medications in the United States…
- causes an estimated 125,000 deaths per year
- leads to at least 10% of hospitalizations
- costs the American health care system between $100 billion and $289 billion per year
United States drug prices were nearly four times higher than average prices compared to similar countries.
Investments
The SingleCare Prescription Discount Card is a free card, available to anyone, that helps save money on costly prescriptions. The card can be used by anyone at any participating pharmacy in the United States. It can be used in conjunction with insurance, or on its own. All FDA approved brand and generic prescription medications are covered. The average savings is about 40% per prescription, and you can check exactly how much your medicine will cost at different participating pharmacies at www.singlecare.com.
The program is made possible by SingleCare negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to provide prices similar to what they give large insurance companies and employers. SingleCare provides United Way of Weld County with the discount cards, plastic card holders, and outreach materials at no cost. United Way distributes these through 211 Colorado, in campaign packets, to schools, agencies, businesses, doctors, and senior centers, and to anyone who requests them.
“After losing my health insurance, a local pharmacist automatically used the SingleCare discount card to process my prescription. My cost went from $180 to $37!”
SingleCare Discount Card user
