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MARK ALYN: Welcome to NeedyMeds. I’m Mark Alyn. We’re going to talk about drug discount
cards right now with Dr. Rich Sagall, from NeedyMeds. He’s the co-founder and president
of the organization. Before we talk about the NeedyMeds cards, every day I seem to see
an advertisement of one kind or another for a drug discount card. Are they all the same?
RICH SAGALL: They’re similar, but not all the same. There are a number of differences
that are important for consumers to know. One is some charge. You should never pay for
a drug discount card. Second one is registration. Some of them require you to register for the
card, provide information – name, address, etc.
MARK ALYN: And that’s so they could provide marketing back to you.
RICH SAGALL: Exactly.
MARK ALYN: Okay.
RICH SAGALL: That’s marketing information. That’s valuable information. So you don’t
want to register. You don’t want to pay. You just want to get the card.
MARK ALYN: So if we go to NeedyMeds.org, and we look under drug discount cards?
RICH SAGALL: You’ll see our card there. Our card is different in many ways. There’s
no registration, no cost. We gather no identifiable information by users. So I don’t know – we
don’t know what it – who is using which drug. So those are a couple of the big differences.
Another huge difference is we generally provide the best price. As a nonprofit, our mission
is not to maximize our profit, it’s to maximize the savings for the patients so that we can
offer a discount that’s generally better than anybody else.
MARK ALYN: And you can actually get a plastic card. You can order a plastic card.
RICH SAGALL: Right. You can get a plastic card by sending us a self-addressed, stamped
envelope. Or there are other instructions on our website as to how to get a card. Many
organizations distribute our card for free. Or you can just go to the website and print
out a paper one. That’s the most used card, the paper one.
MARK ALYN: You also told me the other day that if you like vitamins, and you want vitamins,
the card may give you a discount in pharmacies on vitamin supplements.
RICH SAGALL: That’s right. The card is good for prescription medicines; for over-the-counter
medicines, such as vitamins; and medical supplies, if it’s written as a prescription. And it’s
also good for pet prescriptions you buy in the pharmacy.
MARK ALYN: Pet prescriptions?
RICH SAGALL: Pet prescriptions. Depending upon your orientation, either we take many
of the same drugs that pets do…
MARK ALYN: Sure.
RICH SAGALL: Or they take many of the same drugs we do.
MARK ALYN: Got it.
RICH SAGALL: But you can get a discount. I’ve had friends – I have a friend whose dog
had Lyme disease, and the medication went from 88 to 28 cents a pill with the card.
MARK ALYN: Oh my goodness. Oh, that’s amazing…
RICH SAGALL: Now, the savings – the savings vary. Sometimes it’ll be nothing, to be
honest. Other times we’ve seen 80% savings off the cash price. You cannot use the card
in combination with insurance or any other programs. This is for people paying cash.
MARK ALYN: You also mentioned health – other benefits. Would that include if I fell and
I need a crutch or a walker – those kinds of things?
RICH SAGALL: It could very well, if you got a prescription for it, and if you purchased
it at a local pharmacy. It’s not good at any mail order pharmacies or medical supply
houses.
MARK ALYN: Dr. Sagall, thank you for joining us again. Again, if you would like a free
– absolutely free drug discount card, you can go to NeedyMeds.org. Just look under drug
discount card. And you’ll be able to get one. You can either print one out, as Dr.
Sagall said, or send us an envelope that’s self-addressed and self – and stamped, and
we’ll be glad to send you one. We don’t take any information from you which, as Dr.
Sagall said, is a very big benefit. I’m Mark Alyn. You’ve been watching NeedyMeds.
We’ll be back with another episode, Dr. Sagall and myself, very soon. Have a great
and healthy week.