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February 4, 2010

Discount plan now covers eye care, hearing aids

By DENISE RAYMO

MALONE — Eye-care and hearing-aid savings have been added to county-issued discount-prescription cards for the uninsured and underinsured.

Franklin County adopted the ProAct pharmacy-benefits management system in May 2008, and Clinton County did so a year later, offering residents cheaper options when buying medicine.

Participants save 10 to 20 percent on name-brand drugs and 20 to 50 percent on generic brands.

Now those benefits have been expanded to cover eye exams, eye glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and Lasik eye surgery, said Mark LaVigne, spokesman for the New York State Association of Counties.

Clients can expect to save up to 20 percent on the regular cost of an eye exam, up to 50 percent on frames and up to 50 percent on contact lenses, he said.

Those who need hearing aids and other hearing-related services will save between 35 and 65 percent.

Lasik surgery costs an average of $2,500 nationwide, but ProAct users can save 40 to 50 percent with their card, LaVigne said.

“This has generated tremendous interest from the different counties who do not participate and some questions from those who do,” he said.

Franklin County was one of the first 10 counties in the state to sign up for the program at the urging of Legislature Chairman Guy “Tim” Smith (D-Fort Covington).

“It’s a good program and is working well for the people of Franklin County,” he said. “It’s probably the best thing we ever did for the people without insurance.

“I’m kind of glad I was the one who pushed for it.”

The National Discount Vision Program and its EyeBenefits Provider Network include 12,000 optical shops and Lasik-surgery sites across the country and national eye-care chains such as Pearl Vision, LensCrafters, Sears and Sterling Optical.

The discount-hearing benefits are provided through ear doctors and audiologists in the EPIC Hearing Health Care network and include discounts on testing, evaluations, hearing-aid fittings and name-brand hearing products.

The 2009 year-end report for Franklin County residents show that 17,601 total discount claims were made, with an average price savings of $32.21.

During Clinton County’s first seven months of participation in the program, 6,732 discount claims were made by residents, who saved an average of $36.51 on their prescriptions.



E-mail Denise A. Raymo at:

draymo@pressrepublican.com

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