United Way makes prescription drug discount card available to uninsured

A new discount card being distributed by United Way of Pottawatomie County can help lower the cost of medicine by an average of 35 percent, Audrey Seeliger, director of the local United Way, said. It is called the FamilyWize prescription drug discount card.
“If you don’t have health insurance, or you must buy medicine not covered by your insurance plan, United Way provides these cards to our community free of charge to everyone who needs one. There is no age restriction, no income restrictions, no limit on how many times you can use it and no waiting to get a card,” Seeliger said. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible for people in our community to save on prescription drugs. Too many people have insufficient or no prescription coverage or need medications not covered by their insurance, Medicare, Medicaid or VA benefits.”
Seeliger said the cost of health care is a major concern for people everywhere. One out of every five people in the United States has no prescription coverage, she said. The FamilyWize card will help individuals and families who otherwise could not afford to buy the medicine they need.
United Way of Pottawatomie County has joined with 550 United Ways in all 50 states in lowering the cost of prescription medication for people who need help with their prescription costs. “This partnership is saving more than $1 million every month with a goal of saving $100 million over the next five years,” Seeliger said.
More than 4 million cards have been distributed and more than $7 million has been saved to date, she said. More information is available on the program’s Web site at www.familywize.org.