Generic drugs online

Bibb County residents may get a little extra help paying for prescriptions if a new drug card program is adopted.

Commissioner Bert Bivins has proposed that the county sign on to a prescription drug discount card program that would help defray the cost of prescriptions for county residents. The card would provide an average savings of 20 percent on prescription drugs at participating pharmacies, according to the National Association of Counties, which sponsors the program.

In the face of escalating prescription drug costs, having a way to give residents discounts will just keep them healthier, said Bivins, who learned about the program at an association conference in Kansas earlier this year.

The card would be available free of charge to all Bibb residents, but it can't be used with any other discount or insurance, helping mainly the uninsured and underinsured. If someone's insurance will not cover a specific drug, however, the card could be used instead, Bivins said. NACo, in partnership with CVS Caremark, offers the program at no cost to the county.

Seventeen Georgia counties, including Twiggs and Fulton, already participate in the program, according to the association's Web site.

While members of Bibb County Commission's Human Resources Committee, where Bivins presented the idea, mostly agreed that the concept was a good one, more information is needed before the county adopts such a program, commissioners said.

Among the concerns is how many midstate pharmacies would participate in the program. Because CVS Caremark is a partner, Commissioner Elmo Richardson said he didn't want it to appear that the county was promoting a single brand.

Bivins said it was his impression that NACo would work with pharmacies to help get them on board.

Also unknown are the possible costs associated with the distribution of the cards, how it would be done and who would do it. A disclaimer should be on the card making it clear that the card is not part of Bibb's insurance plan, Commissioner Lonzy Edwards said.

High drug costs are an issue for many people in Bibb County, where an estimated 16 percent of residents are uninsured, according to a report for the state Department of Community Health.

To help, some pharmacies have started $4 generic drug programs, but they don't cover everything, said Katherine McLeod, CEO of First Choice Primary Care, a Macon clinic that targets the poor and uninsured. Sometimes generic drugs aren't an option, and name-brand drugs can be expensive, even for people who aren't below the poverty level, she said.

"There's a big need for it," McLeod said of a prescription discount card.

Bivins said he's heard positive words about the program from administrators in other counties.

In Twiggs County, the response was less than overwhelming when the county started offering the prescription discount cards at the end of 2004, County Administrator Glenn Barton said. But that was mostly because residents had to come to the commission office if they wanted a discount card, leaving little opportunity to dispense the cards within the community, he said. In 2006, the cards were handed over to the health department to pass out.

Twiggs officials don't know how many people actually received a card, but Barton said he has heard from residents that it has helped. And if it helped at least one person, it was worth it, he said.

"It's kind of a no-brainer to me," Bivins said.