SUMMARY:
TIBA is pleased to introduce its members and all Kansans to the Kansas Drug Card program.
These two prescription discount drug cards are free. Between the two, there are 548 participating pharmacies in Kansas. It takes only a minute or two on the internet and you don't have to give away any information except your first and last names.
These have two great advantages – easy-to-get-to drug price information, and access to discounts no matter where you are. Compared to full price, you will save on average 10-20% off name brand medication and 20-75% on generic drugs.
DETAILED INFORMATION:
TIBA is pleased to introduce a free but very valuable tool to its members – the Kansas Drug Card.
MAIN BENEFIT #1: ACTUAL, WIDELY AVAILABLE DISCOUNTS ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
Whether a person has health insurance or drug benefits or not, the Kansas drug card (which actually has two different network ID cards), can provide discounts on most prescription drugs at 548 Kansas pharmacies. In fact, it provides discounts at over 50,000 pharmacies all across the U.S.
MAIN BENEFIT #2: DRUG COST INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET
The Kansas small business community has been working for several years for a state website with drug cost information. The Kansas Drug Card provides instant pricing within the chosen network, and the discounted prices are real and updated frequently.
LIMITATIONS
A pharmacy will take only ONE discount program per prescription. You will be able to use the discount provided by your Kansas drug card, or your health insurance, AARP, Medicare, Medicaid, or whatever – but never more than one.
The Kansas Drug card is NOT insurance. You may be able to use it with your insurance or instead of your insurance.
For those with any type of prescription coverage, you would present your insurance card and the discount drug card(s) to the pharmacy and ask them to fill the prescription with whichever program gives you the lowest cost per prescription.
You may have three different prescriptions to fill at one time, and find that your insurance card is cheapest on one drug, another is cheapest on one of your Kansas Drug Card ID cards, and the third is cheapest on the second of your Kansas Drug ID cards.
If, of course, you have a Health Savings Account, you can choose lowest of three prices -- the price that goes with the insurance or with either of the two drug cards.
HOW THIS WORKS
There are no forms to fill out, no income restrictions, no waiting periods, no age requirements, no pre-existing condition clauses or other restrictions that would eliminate a person from obtaining this discount prescription coverage. Everyone is truly eligible to join this program regardless of health status or even if they already possess some type of prescription coverage. All you need to obtain your two ID cards is: Access to the internet website at www.KansasDrugCard.com, stop by a local Kansas Dillon's pharmacy for ID card creation on request, or call 785-379-0586.
This service is a free discount drug card program with networks that encompass over 50,000 participating pharmacies representing over 170 different pharmacy chains between two different networks nationwide. These networks contain many local pharmacies and almost all major pharmacy chains, including Eckerd, Kroger, Publix, Rite Aid, Target, Walgreen's, Wal-Mart, Winn Dixie, Dillons, Safeway, etc. There are 548 pharmacies in the program in Kansas at this writing. TIBA has asked Kansas Drug Card that all privately-owned local pharmacies in Topeka be given a chance to be part of one or both networks.
To sign up and print your cards, simply log on to www.KansasDrugCard.com and enter the first and last name in one of the network enrollment boxes. Then, on the third blank enter your email address if you desire a duplicate card to be sent to you via email instantly. If you do not want to give out your email address, or when filling out cards for employees, simply put "none" in the third blank. Click on "create prescription card" and your pre-activated discount drug card will appear on your screen ready to be printed. Repeat the enrollment steps for the both the Spirit and Freedom networks. To obtain both cards takes only about one minute on a high speed connection. You are ready to start saving on prescriptions at local participating pharmacies as soon as the cards are printed.
Above each network card icon you will see a link to click on to locate local participating pharmacies and a separate link in each network to compare medication pricing on-line. Prescriptions are filled locally as usual at the participating pharmacy of your choice.
There are no limits on the number of times the card may be used and no limits on the number of prescriptions that may be filled with your discount card. One card covers all members of the immediate household, or you may want to make cards for each member of the family. There are no usage fees, nothing to buy to activate the card and you are not required to use the drug cards ever if you don't want to.
If you lose your card, it's as simple as logging back on to the web site to create another one instantly.
For those individuals with prescription coverage, plan benefits vary widely. Compare the costs of medication using your current prescription plan versus the discount drug card to obtain the lowest pricing. Those individuals should take into account any long term advantages to having prescriptions purchased counted towards plan deductibles if that applies.
TOPEKA COORDINATOR
Amy Rose Herrick of Topeka is the coordinator for Kansas. If you have any questions, please feel free to use the link at www.KansasDrugCard.com to send an email directly to Amy@KansasDrugCard.com or call 785-379-0586 in Topeka for a prompt response. PDF brochures are available upon request.
Kansas Drug Card is also a resource with The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPARX.org) which brings together America's pharmaceutical companies, doctors, other health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups to help qualifying patients who lack prescription coverage get the medicines they need through public or private programs.