Mayor Announces Prescription Drug Discount Program

From Mayor Bill Finch:

 Mayor Bill Finch announced today that the City of Bridgeport, through its association with the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities (CCM), the statewide association of towns and cities, is now providing a new prescription discount card that will provide uninsured and underinsured residents steep savings on prescription medicines. Bridgeport is a member of CCM and this new program is only available to CCM member-communities.

In Connecticut, more than 10 percent of Connecticut residents–nearly 360,000 people–currently lack health insurance and prescription plans and another 800,000 residents are underinsured. There are over 50 million uninsured individuals living in the United States.

The “City of Bridgeport Prescription Drug Discount Card” helps residents save money on their prescription medications any time their prescription is not covered by insurance. This new prescription discount card will provide immediate fiscal relief at the pharmacy counter for uninsured and underinsured residents and offers the following features and benefits:

· Anyone can participate regardless of age or income;

· All prescription medications are covered including pet prescriptions that are human-based and can be filled at a pharmacy;

· There is no cost to the municipality or to participating residents;

· Cost savings are on brand name and generics medications. Generic prescriptions here offer the highest savings;

· There are over 63,000 participating pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Stop and Shop, and Big Y, and many local pharmacies;

· Discounts are also offered on other medical services including vision, hearing and Lasik services.

“I encourage all Bridgeport residents to take advantage of the Prescription Discount card. There are no enrollment forms, membership fees limits or restrictions on use,” Mayor Bill Finch. “This is a great solution to help all our residents save money on prescription drugs; it’s a pressing issue that will positively impact our residents across Bridgeport.”

“CCM is pleased to offer this valuable community service to Bridgeport,” said CCM Director of Member Services and Marketing, Gina Calabro. “This program will help residents save money on their medications if they don’t have insurance, and also if their current insurance doesn’t cover certain drugs.”

Each residence in Bridgeport will receive a “City of Bridgeport Prescription Discount Card” by direct mail which they may use at any participating retail pharmacy. Cards may be used by all city residents regardless of age, income or existing health coverage. There are no enrollment forms, membership fees, restrictions or limits on frequency of use for residents. Cardholders and their family members are encouraged to use the cards any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance.

Cards can also be printed by visiting www.CTRxDiscountCard.com after the cards have mailed and by selecting Bridgeport from the drop-down menu. The website also contains a “Learn the Perks of the Card” where a resident can locate a participating pharmacy, comparison shop their medication, and find the information on the discounts that are also available on vision, hearing and LASIK services.