New Jersey Drug Card Media Center

Patients who need help with the cost of prescription medications can now obtain a free prescription assistance card provided by the state’s largest association of physicians.

The Medical Society of New Jersey (MSNJ) announced plans to distribute the New Jersey Drug Card, a discount drug card free to all New Jersey residents. The discount card generates savings of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs at hundreds of participating pharmacies statewide.

The discount card helps uninsured and under-insured residents afford prescription medications, which has already saved New Jerseyans more than $98 million since its inception.

“Medical Society of New Jersey physicians are committed to our patients and helping patients get the medications they need is a priority, “said MSNJ President Dr. Joseph Costabile. “Patients cannot get well if they are not able to get their prescriptions. That is why we are making the New Jersey Drug Card available from our member physicians.”

The New Jersey Drug Card discounts are available to patients whose health insurance coverage does not include prescription benefits, which is common in many high deductible health plans. Those who do have prescription coverage with their health insurance can use this program to get discounts on medications that are not covered by their insurance plan. All New Jerseyans are eligible regardless of their current prescription coverage benefits.

New Jersey residents interested in taking advantage of this program may print a free card, search drug pricing and locate participating pharmacies by visiting www.msnj.org/drugcard or by visiting the program’s website at www.newjerseydrugcard.com.

About the Medical Society of New Jersey

Founded in 1766, the Medical Society of New Jersey is the oldest professional Society in the United States. The organization and its dues-paying members are dedicated to a healthy New Jersey, working to ensure the sanctity of the physician–patient relationship. In representing all medical disciplines, MSNJ advocates for the rights of patients and physicians alike, for the delivery of the highest quality medical care. This allows response to the patients’ individual, varied needs, in an ethical and compassionate environment, in order to create a healthy Garden State and healthy citizens.

Based on a wellness program from Bergen County (which was implemented in 2007) the new program will provide 10%-50% discounts on prescriptions, free hearing examinations with a 50% discount on the hearing aid, free eye exams with discount on glasses.

In today's economy when every dollar counts, this is a win win situation for the user and the county. Most costs are borne by the provider of services, rather than costing taxpayers.

"This new service is free, there are no fees for participating and the discounts are automatic. And, most importantly, our taxpayers will pay a single additional dollar in taxes for our residents to benefit from our Wellness Program," stated Director Way.

For more information on Passaic County Wellness Program.

Monmouth County is one of only four counties in the entire country to make available a unique Wellness Discount Program to ALL of its residents.

The Program is a package of medical and health services whereby residents receive deep discounts as much 50%. There are no age or income criteria, no maximum amount for benefits and no problem with pre-existing conditions. There are no health restrictions or exclusions, and no paper work. Except for a small fee for the dental component, the Program's various other discount elements are available at absolutely no cost.

The Monmouth County card can actually be used anywhere in the country with participating providers. This means that "snow birds" and college students in other states can receive substantial discounts on prescription drugs (including for pets), eye glasses, hearing aids and diabetic supplies.

To take advantage of these discounts, all a person has to do is present the discount card to the health provider. There is absolutely no charge for the card or to participate in the Program. The program was designed to help everyone reduce high medical costs.

Discounts range from 10% to 50% and major health service providers (including 55,000 pharmacies) across the country are participating in the program and making discounts available to those who have a card.

Covered are:

• prescription drugs, including pet medications
• up to 50% for hearing exams and hearing aids
• up to 30% for vision exams, eyeglasses, contact lenses and lasik eye surgery
• dental care
• diabetic supplies

In New Jersey's participating counties, information brochures and discount cards are available through the various county governments, public libraries, and various other distribution points. One card covers all the members in a family.

Monmouth County began offering the program to its residents this past fall. Passaic and Salem counties joined earlier last year. Jersey City also offers the program to its residents. In 2007, Bergen County was the first in the entire country to offer the packaged program to all of its residents.

The Wellness Discount Program package was created by Allan Caan and Bernie Fontana, Program Directors with the Bergen County government.

"No other state or organization in the country offers all these health services discounts in one package," said Caan. "We packaged a number of separate discount program available through United Networks of America."

Fontana said that Bergen County residents save $300,000 a month (more than $3,000,000 a year) for drugs alone. The sponsoring county receives $.50 for each prescription filled. This money is used for community outreach and to print the brochure and discount cards.

In Monmouth County the program is administered by the County Office on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans Interment. Thomas Pivinski, Aging Director, said, "Too many Monmouth County hardworking residents are struggling to pay for medicine and other medical needs. This program helps everyone save money and enjoy a higher quality of life."

Pivinski noted that the program is not medical insurance, but provides for substantial discounts for services that may not be covered under a person's regular insurance or Medicare. In relation to prescriptions, the program helps those with high drug costs as they go through the "doughnut" level.

To receive a card in currently participating counties, residents can call:

• Monmouth County 732-308-3770 or 732-431-7450/li>
• Bergen County 201-336-6405
• Passaic County 973-569-4075
• Salem County 856-935-7510 Ext. 8471
• Jersey City 201-547-4900

Freeholders in Essex, Mercer and Hudson counties have approved the program, and cards will be available to their residents in the next month or two.

Gloucester County residents will soon be eligible for discounts on prescription drugs, hearing and vision exams, eyeglasses, diabetic supplies and more through a new county program starting Monday.

There will be no income criteria to be eligible for the discounts. It will be available to all residents simply by obtaining a card.

The program offers discounts from 10 percent to 50 percent off prescription drug costs, discounts on eye exams and corrective materials, up to 50 percent discounts on hearing aids, reductions on mail-order diabetic supplies, and 30 percent discount on the annual cost of buying a dental discount plan.

The program will be administered through the Gloucester County Department of Health. For more information or to obtain the necessary card, go to the county's Web site www.gloucestercountynj.gov or by call the Gloucester County Department of Health at (856) 218-4101.

The Essex County Board of Freeholders and County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. co-hosted a presentation for about 50 local officials to explain the county's new "Essex County Wellness Discount Program" Thursday, June 10, in the Freeholder Chambers at the Hall of Records.

The discount program, which is offered to all Essex County residents free-of-charge and without regard to age or incom.

The invited guests included mayors, municipal council members, clerks and administrators, health officers, library directors and school superintendents.

The program is patterned after Bergen County's wellness discount program, said Freeholder President Blonnie R. Watson of Newark.

The Bergen County program has been in operation for the past two and one-half years, said Watson who added that the Freeholder Board and the Essex County Administration have, "...joined hands to implement this discount program that will save Essex County residents significant amounts of money during these difficult times, when people are having a hard time paying their rents and mortgages, and especially their bills for medical services and supplies."

"I commend Freeholder President Blonnie Watson and the entire Board of Freeholders for bringing the Wellness Program to Essex County," DiVincenzo said.

The county executive called it a win-win situation for county residents and the county, in that the more it is used by residents, the more they save individually, the more revenue the program will also put into the county's coffers at a rate of 50 cents per prescription filled.

The "Essex County Wellness Discount Program" is a shared service initiative between the County of Essex and the County of Bergen operating under the umbrella of United Networks of America, Inc., a networking company that is one of the largest providers of value-added managed care products and services with more than 240,000 participating providers serving more than 72.4 million members.

It is not an insurance policy, but rather an easy-to-use discount program. There is enrollment or eligibility requirements to meet and the program is available to any Essex County resident.

The program's Prescription Drug Card offers discounts ranging from 10 to 75 percent on prescription drugs purchased at local pharmacies and national chain stores such as CVS, WAL-MART, Safeway, K-Mart Pharmacy, Walgreen's, Kroger, Target, Stop & Shop and others.

Additionally, the Prescription Drug Card even offers discounts of up to 50 percent on human equivalent prescriptions for pet medications.

The Essex County Wellness Discount Program brochure explains various components and provides respective Web site addresses and toll-free numbers, may be viewed and printed by visiting freeholders.essexcountynj.org and clicking "Essex County Wellness Discount Program" under the "Information From Freeholders Office" heading.

Livingston residents are welcome to partake in the "Essex County Wellness Discount Program," according to Anthony Puglisi, the Essex County liason, who presented the program at last week's Township Council meeting during his routine update of county initiatives.

The discount program, which is offered to all Essex County residents free-of charge (no age or income restrictions), offers savings for a wide range of medical needs: prescription drugs; vision exams, eyeglasses, contact lenses and Lasik eye surgery, hearing exams and hearing aids, dental care and the ProSmile teeth whitening system, diabetic supplies and even pet medications.

The program, however, is not a substitute for insurance.

Among the program's benefits is the Prescription Drug Card, which offers discounts ranging from 10-75 percent on prescription drugs purchased at local pharmacies and national chain stores such as CVS, WAL-MART, Safeway, K-Mart Pharmacy, Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Stop & Shop, and many others. Although the discount card will be most beneficial to uninsured residents, who have to pay out-of-pocket for mediations, it can be very helpful to insured individuals who do not have prescription coverage and also help them achieve discounts for specific medications that are not covered by their insurance providers. It can also be used as a Medicare Part D supplement for those drugs not covered by Medicare.

here's also an eye care component to the program that offers either fixed-dollar or percentage discounts (usually 30 percent) off retail prices for both eye examinations and corrective materials; additionally, there are dental and hearing benefits, too.

Bergen County offers a similar program and the "Essex County Wellness Discount Program" is a shared service initiative between the County of Essex and the County of Bergen and operated under the umbrella of United Networks of America, Inc., a networking company that is one of the largest providers of value-added managed care products and services in the nation with more than 240,000 participating providers serving more than 72.4 million members.

In June, Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. co-hosted a presentation with Essex County Freeholders to announce the program. Officials reiterated that although the program is not an insurance policy, it's an easy-to-use discount program available to any Essex County resident.

The "Essex County Wellness Discount Program" brochure contains websites and toll-free numbers pertaining to each of the benefits. To participate, tndividuals need to cut the discount card out of the brochure and present it to participating vendors. To access the card and for more detailed information, click here.

Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and county Freeholder President, Blonnie R. Watson launched the new Essex County Wellness Discount Program on June 10.

The Wellness Program is open to all county residents regardless of age or income. The free program offers participants a wide range of discounts for prescription drugs, hearing exams, hearing aids, vision exams, eyeglasses and contact lenses, Lasik eye surgery, dental care, diabetic supplies and pet medications.

The County Executive welcomed the work of the freeholders.

"I commend Freeholder President Blonnie Watson and the entire Board for bringing the program to the county," said DiVincenzo in an e-mail to the Item of Millburn and Short Hills last week. "Especially with the cost of health care rising, this Wellness Program is a welcome resource that will make prescription drugs and health, vision and dental care more affordable."

The program provides residents with a drug discount card that could bring savings of 10 to 75 percent off prescription drug costs. All residents have to do is present the discount card along with their prescriptions to be filled to their pharmacist.

Millburn Deputy Mayor Sandra Haimoff hasn't seen a broad discount program like this in the county until now. She says there are union programs and profession discounts that target a certain audience, but she is thrilled that this program is open to all residents.

"I think this is coming at a good time for people," said Haimoff. "With the economy being what it is anything that can be done without costing the taxpayer is a positive thing."

The program was introduced to help the uninsured residents of the county, but the card can be used by the insured to get discounts on medications not covered by their insurance provider.

Haimoff suggests that the program is of no cost to taxpayers in Essex County because the companies included in the Wellness Program are looking for more business countywide.

Most major pharmacy chains including CVS, Rite-Aid, K-Mart, Walgreen's and Target will accept the card. The card can also be used as a Medicare Part D supplement for discount prescriptions not covered by Medicare. A bonus is that the wellness card also includes discounts for pet prescription drugs.

The Wellness Discount Program also includes a number of offerings for free including USHearingPlan.com and Choice Plus Dental Plan.

To receive a card and get more information, visit www.essexcountynj.org/wellnessdiscount.