In March 2010, St. Mary’s County began offering a prescription discount card program to help consumers cope with the high cost of prescriptions. To date, 2,376 county residents have saved more than $109,306.25, an average saving of $20.69 per prescription or 29.07 percent off the retail price and 5,282 prescriptions have been filled through March, 2012. These averages have surpassed the original savings estimates of $13 per prescription or 22 percent off the retail price.
There is no cost to county taxpayers for St. Mary’s County to provide the cost effective prescription cards. They may be used by all county residents regardless of age or income. Discount cards can be used with any existing health coverage at many participating pharmacies in the county.
Discount cards are available at all St. Mary’s County Libraries, Senior Activity Centers, and the Division of Human Services and via the internet by logging on to www.caremark.com/naco.
NACo Prescription Drug Program in St. Mary’s County
(As of March 2012)
| Category | St. Mary’s County |
| Total Savings to date | $109,306.25 |
| Average savings per prescription | $20.69 |
| Total percentage of retail discount | 29.07% |
| Prescriptions filled through NACo program | 5,282 |
Launched in 2004 as a 17-county pilot program, the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with CVS Caremark, introduced the NACo Prescription Drug Discount Card program. The program, offered exclusively to families residing in any participating NACo-member county, provides a discount on commonly prescribed medications for those that do not have prescription drug insurance.
Free cards are available throughout the county and may be used by all county residents.
For additional information on how to get your county involved with the program, visit NACo’s Prescription Drug Discount Card Program webpage.
