06 July 2004

Nassau drug plan may work elsewhere

Could an innovative prescription-drug program called NassauRx be just what the doctor ordered to stem the misery of high-cost drugs in the region? New York City and Suffolk County officials are turning their attention to Nassau County with just that in mind.

Nassau this week mailed free prescription-drug cards out to 500,000 county households. The cards, which differ from the federal government's new Medicare prescription-drug program in that they have no fee and no age requirement, promise an average of 20 percent off brand-name drugs and up to 50 percent off generics at drug stores that have agreed to participate. They are good at about 75 percent of pharmacies in Nassau and at another 48,000 nationwide.

NassauRx is the brainchild of County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, former partner in a major accounting firm specializing in health care finance and founder of his own mail-order pharmaceutical company. He was frustrated about the high cost of drugs for many consumers.

If NassauRx works, New York City and Suffolk want to join in or create their own programs. That should offer some promise of relief to residents battling the cost of needed drugs.

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