Lancaster County residents saved nearly $200,000 on medications last year through the Lancaster County Prescription Drug Discount Program.
Initiated by the county commissioners on May 29, the program enabled residents to save $186,302.27 on 10,590 prescriptions filled by Dec. 31.
"We consider this program a great success for our residents who have prescription medications not covered by an insurance program," said commissioners Chairman Scott Martin. "Because the card is free for residents to use, every dollar saved is money right back in their pockets."
National Association of Counties offers the program as a free benefit to its member counties.
The prescription drug discount cards, which work like a grocery store discount card, can be used at 91 pharmacies in Lancaster County that are part of the NACo/CVS Caremark network.
The cards ensure that holders get the lowest possible price charged by participating pharmacies.
It doesn't cost anything to use the cards, and Caremark makes money on the program by negotiating lower prices and then taking about $1 for every transaction, according to a NACo spokesman.
Card holders might realize savings on drugs not covered by their insurance plans, but the commissioners have said they expect the cards to be most beneficial to those without any insurance coverage.
The cards also can be used for discounts on pet medicine.
So far, the county has distributed about 105,000 discount cards, according to Angie Eichelberger, who coordinates the program on behalf of the commissioners.
The cards are free and no application is required to obtain one, meaning the cards aren't registered or linked to a particular person. They are available at 185 locations across the county, such as county and municipal offices, libraries, pharmacies and others.
A tracking system allows the commissioners to calculate only how many times the cards are used and how much money is saved.