PLATTSBURGH —
The United Way and FamilyWize have partnered to save the people living and working in Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties on everyday prescription costs.
The free FamilyWize drug discount card is being distributed by the United Way of the Adirondack Region Inc.
The card lowers the cost of medicine by an average of 30 percent or more for people without insurance or who take medications not covered by their plan.
"No one should be forced to choose between paying for food, rent or medicine because of the high cost of prescriptions," United Way Executive Director John Bernardi said in a news release.
The card is just like a coupon you can keep using every time you need to fill a prescription. All you have to do is present a FamilyWize card at a local pharmacy.
"The FamilyWize card provides immediate savings on prescription medicines with no paperwork or forms to fill out," Dan Barnes, co-chair of the FamilyWize Community Service Partnership, said in a statement.
The cards can even be used by people with health benefits, including Medicaid or Medicare.
The card is accepted at 95 percent of pharmacies nationwide, and no enrollment or personal information is needed.
Nearly 1,000 United Ways in all 50 states have helped to save more than $100 million on prescriptions in their communities.
FamilyWize cards can be found locally at The United Way of the Adirondack Region, 45 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh.
People with Internet access can go to www.FamilyWize.org to print a card, look up drug prices and obtain a list of participating pharmacies.
