Oklahoma Drug Card Media Center

(Tulsa) – A new Oklahoma Drug Card program will officially be launched today, with officials touting it as a way to save money while purchasing prescriptions.

Under the program, any Oklahoma resident can sign up for a card online, then print it out and use it. The card will allow users instant savings on prescriptions at 237 pharmacies in Oklahoma and 50,000 across the nation.

Chene Tucker of Broken Arrow said using the card saved her $20 on two medications.

"I was pleased and surprised," Tucker said. "It was exactly what they said it would be. I will be using it again."

The drug cards are free and there are no age or income restrictions for its use, said Joe Willard, the program's state director. He said those who use the card will save an average of 35 percent on their prescription costs, and as much as 75 percent when buying some medications.

The program's Web site lists which drugs are covered, the participating pharmacies and the level of discounts. Willard said that even those who have insurance prescription coverage could find it cheaper to buy a prescribed drug using the card than with insurance.

Oklahoma is the 23rd state to offer such a program. It is sponsored by United Networks of America, a Baton Rouge, La., company that provides managed health care products.

He said pharmaceutical companies help fund the program in an effort to sell their products, noting that sometimes people opt not to fill a prescription because of cost.

"About two-thirds of people who see a doctor get a prescription," Willard said. "If it's not filled, no one makes any money."

Oklahoma has one of the nation's highest rates of people without insurance coverage, which makes the program especially important in the state, Willard said.

"This program can help every resident of Oklahoma—and help many people so desperately in need," he said.