Washington Prescription Drug Program really does work
Almost a year ago, Washington State began offering a prescription drug discount card. The Washington Prescription Drug Program (WDPD for short) is free to all residents. This is not an insurance program, but simply a discount card. At the time this came out, about-rentonwa was not yet in existence, so I was not able to write about it here. My loyal readers - both of you - will have to read the full details in the article I wrote for Associated Content in February of 2007.
This past week was the first time I needed to use the discount card, which I suppose is a good thing. We were out of town when my husband became ill and was prescribed both antibiotics and an anti-inflamatory. In this small town I had the choice of the local pharmacy next to the ER or the Safeway pharmacy. I chose the Safeway pharmacy since I thought they participated in this plan, and fortunately I remembered correctly.
I did not have high hopes for much of a discount, since I figured the card would be worth about what I paid for, but I am happy to report that this discount card really is worthwhile. I don’t have access to the full cost before discount, but the clerk told me I did receive substantial savings. Supposedly, the average discount for generic drugs is 60%, and the average discount for name brand drugs is 20%. It sure seems possible, since I paid $3.70 and $16.20 for the prescriptions. If only the ER visit had been so cheap …
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