New Mexico Drug Card Media Center

The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce launched a program Monday that will help New Mexicans who don't have health insurance obtain discounts of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs.

The New Mexico Drug Card will be available to any state resident who can print it off a computer. The card will be accepted at more than 250 pharmacy locations in the state and at more than 50,000 locations nationwide. The card is free, has no restriction to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations and has no applications to fill out.

Residents with or without insurance can take the card to their pharmacy and get the discounts. Residents with health insurance can present the card and see if it offers lower drug prices than does their insurance.

The program is a joint effort between the Chamber and United Networks of America, which has helped launch the program in 35 other states, said Chamber spokeswoman Andrea Nash.

"Our goal with launching the New Mexico Drug Card program is to drive down the costs of health care for our state's uninsured population," said Chamber President and CEO Terri Cole. "The number of New Mexicans without health insurance has increased to 450,000, or 23 percent of the state's population. The intent of this program is to lower the cost of prescription medications for this group of individuals."

The program was announced at an afternoon new conference in the state capitol with Gov. Bill Richardson.

Residents can download the New Mexico Drug Card by going to the Web site.

The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce is launching a new statewide prescription assistance program called the New Mexico Drug Card.

The program, created to help uninsured and underinsured residents of New Mexico, will provide discount drug cards at no cost that offer significant savings on many prescription drugs.

The program, already launched in more than 35 states, has no restrictions to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations, no cost to participate and there are no applications with personal information to fill out. New Mexico Drug Card, a product of United Networks of America, is accepted at more than 250 pharmacy locations in New Mexico and more than 50,000 across the country.

While the national debate on health care reform continues to try to solve the problem "at the edges" rather than truly reform the health care delivery system, the Chamber saw an opportunity to make health care a little more accessible and a lot more affordable — especially for the uninsured – without reform. We recognize that it is a small step toward solving a big problem, but it is a step in the right direction.

If we can make health care more accessible and more affordable even while the national debate rages on, we believe that is a good contribution to our state's well-being. Gov. Bill Richardson does too. That is why he has endorsed the New Mexico Drug Card.

Over the next few months, we will announce more projects designed to put business in the driver's seat which we hope – over time – will create a marketplace that drives health care costs down and accessibility up.

A few more specifics about the New Mexico Drug Card:

• It is being launched to help the uninsured and underinsured citizens of New Mexico afford their prescription medications. The number of New Mexicans without health insurance has increased to 450,000, or 23 percent of the state's population.
• The Chamber will receive a small fee from United Networks of America, which will be used to help us market the card to reach this population.
• The program will also benefit our small-business community, many of whom have been forced out of buying insurance because it is too expensive, or those who have had to lower costs by choosing high-deductible plans for their employees with no prescription drug coverage.
• The benefits of this program are evident in the other states where similar cards have been launched.
• For example, a Colorado man credits the Colorado Drug Card (after he lost his job and couldn't afford his daily heart medication) for making it possible to purchase heart medication that he otherwise would not be able to afford. Once he received his discount card, he was able to save 70 percent on his medication and return to taking his prescription on a regularly scheduled basis.
• It's also good for retail pharmacies.

Unlike other discount cards, this card sends customers into the pharmacy to get their prescriptions filled, rather than sending customers to foreign markets via mail order and the internet.

Any pharmacy can enroll in this program with no set up fees; they simply agree to give a discount to the patients that carry the New Mexico Drug Card as they already do for other pharmacy discount prescription drug programs.

We encourage all New Mexicans to download and print cards for themselves, their families and their friends by going to www.NewMexicoDrugCard.com. This very transparent website can help you comparison shop all prescription medication pricing and can help you start saving today.

The New Mexico Drug Card is a free statewide prescription assistance program for all state residents. The program provides discounts on both brand and generic medications with an average savings of around 30%. There are no restriction to membership, no income requirements, no age limitations, and no applications to fill out. This statewide prescription assistance program is made possible and funded through the support pharmicies and pharaceutical companies.

The New Mexico Drug Card can be used by uninsured, underinsured, and by those who have health insurance coverage with no prescription benefits. People with prescription coverage can use the program to get a discount on prescription drugs that are not covered by insurance.

To print customized cards, locate participating pharmacies, and search medication pricing, go to www.NMDrugCard.com. No personal information is required to print a card and all prescriptions processed through the program are completely confidential.

If you have any questions or would like hard cards for your patients, contact Mike McCabe, Program Director for New Mexico Drug Card, by sending an email to mikem@NMdrugcard.com