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PROVIDENCE – The United Way of Rhode Island’s United Way 2-1-1 program, which runs a free, 24/7 hot line that provides information and referrals to health and human services, is now offering a free prescription-drug discount card that it says can cut costs by an average of 20 percent.
The cards, called FamilyWize Prescription Drug Discount Cards, are geared to people who are uninsured or need to buy a medication not covered by insurance. The text is printed in English and Spanish, and it is accepted at most Rhode Island pharmacies, said Cristina Amedeo, director of the 2-1-1 program.
“There is no enrollment, eligibility, paperwork or fee to anyone,” she said, “and no personal information is collected or shared. One card is good for the entire family, and it is valid for five years.”
The cards, which are only accepted in Rhode Island, can be printed off the 2-1-1 Web site, or they can be requested by calling 211 or 1-800-367-2700 to have one sent by mail. The discounts offered can be as high as 50 percent off the pharmacies’ regular retail prices.
The cards are sponsored by FamilyWize, a community service partnership that includes United Way agencies, America’s Promise Alliance Partners, and county and community organizations including doctors, businesses and pharmacies.
This is not the only discount card available in the state; a separate program, Rhode Island Rx, launched in March with sponsorship from the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, also provides free discount cards, printable online or obtainable at CVS/pharmacy stores, that are said to yield average discounts of 30 percent off regular retail prices.
In addition, several retailers, including CVS/pharmacy, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid and Target, offer their own discount cards, usually with a start-up fee and applicable to limited lists of drugs – almost always generics, but for as little as $4 per 30-day supply or $10 for three months’ supply.
