Wayne County, Mich., Should Drop Prescription Card, Inform Seniors How to Get Discounts Elsewhere, Detroit News States

Wayne County, Mich., "should get out of the discount [drug] card business" and start giving seniors information on how they can obtain "far bigger" discounts from drug makers or pharmacies, a Detroit News editorial states (Detroit News, 8/12). A recent audit of the Wayne County Drug Card Program found that the program saved participants "far less" than similar programs in neighboring counties and in some cases cost them more than if they had purchased drugs at pharmacies other than CVS, which is the only place card holders can purchase drugs (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 8/6). The News points out that there are other prescription discount options, including using drug makers' discount cards and ordering directly through a pharmacy or pharmaceutical companies. Still, many seniors are under the "false impression" that government-sponsored programs offer drugs "as cheaply as possible," the News states, concluding that Wayne County's program "may be doing [seniors] a disservice" by not "alerting them to other, more promising ways to save on their prescriptions" (Detroit News, 8/12).