For those Nassau residents without a medical plan that covers prescription drugs, the cost of prescription drugs can be crippling financially. However, thanks to a discount plan established by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman, help is on the way.

Weitzman, together with Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, unveiled the NassauRx program, which will enable all residents of Nassau County to get a discount on commonly prescribed prescription drugs including brand names and generics.

"There is no need for anyone in Nassau County to retain retail prices for prescription drugs," said Weitzman.

The county is in the process of mailing NassauRx cards to all registered voters in Nassau County, regardless of age. For those residents who have to pay retail price for a drug, the card is presented at the pharmacy when paying for the drugs and will save residents an average of 20 percent on brand-name drugs and an average of 50 percent on generic equivalents.

"Pharmacy costs are the fastest growing component of health care expenditures. While many poor people can afford to see a doctor (due to available public insurance programs and other subsidies), they often cannot afford to buy the medicines their doctor prescribes. The NassauRx program will assist all Nassau residents and particularly those without insurance or whose insurance does not cover drugs, to afford the medicines they need," said Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. David Ackman.

The first residents to use the NassauRx card were Leonard and Phyllis Gold of Oceanside. The Golds pay about $200 a month for prescription drugs. By using the NassauRx card, the Golds expect to reduce their monthly prescription bill by $35 to $40 a month, but as Phyllis Gold pointed out, there are a lot of people who use a lot more. It's often that Phyllis Gold will go into the drug store and see people writing checks for $450 or $500 a month. "It's a big burden on people who are living on fixed incomes," said Leonard Gold.

However, you need not be a senior or on a fixed income to receive the NassauRx benefit, which is given right at the counter when the purchase of prescriptions is being made. Any resident of the county can use the NassauRx card, regardless of age and income to receive the discount on the retail price of the drug. "More than 350,000 people in Nassau of all ages lack adequate insurance for essential prescription drugs," said Weitzman. "With drug costs soaring to unreasonable levels, too many people are making a daily choice between putting food on the table or taking the full prescribed doses of life-sustaining medications. For these people, the NassauRx card's discounts may prove very significant indeed."

The card will prove to be more useful to some residents than others. For those who do not have a prescription drug plan, it can provide significant savings. For those seniors who are enrolled in New York State's Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC), the state's prescription plan for seniors who need help paying for their prescriptions, purchases made with the NassauRx card may be applied to meeting the annual deductible required under the EPIC program. For those who do have a prescription drug plan, the NassauRx card can be used to purchase drugs the plan may not cover.

If a resident has a prescription drug plan with a deductible, the card can be used to purchase drugs in order to reach the deductible.

"Don't leave home without it, especially visiting your local pharmacy," said County Executive Suozzi who gave full marks to Weitzman and his office for coming up with the plan.

With its Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003, the federal government is providing a prescription drug savings for those who obtain a Medicare-approved drug discount card. However, Weitzman sees several advantages of the NassauRx card over Medicare cards. Most Medicare cards charge a fee, are only for Medicare beneficiaries and may not cover all prescription drugs depending on which card a resident has. Weitzman points out that the NassauRx card is for all residents and can be used on all commonly prescribed drugs.

If you do have a Medicare prescription drug card, it cannot be used in conjunction with the NassauRx card. Residents should use the card that gives them a better price.

Perhaps the best part about the NassauRx program is that it doesn't cost taxpayers any money. The cost of the program is made up by the discounts that are given at the pharmacy level. "Unfortunately, the brunt of the program falls on the local pharmacists and on the chain pharmacies," said Weitzman. "What we're hoping, if this becomes a model for other municipalities throughout the country, is more and more people are able to obtain these discounts. Pressure will be brought to bear on the drug companies so they will reduce their prices to the pharmacies, which will then enable them to charge lower prices. The ultimate responsibility for high drug prices rests with the drug companies," he said.

Cards are in the process of being mailed to voters of the county. However, if you do not receive a card or would like additional cards, you can call 1-877-321-2652. It doesn't matter what your tax status, your residency status or citizenship status is. More information on the NassauRx program can be obtained by visiting nassaurx.advancerx.com.

The NassauRx card is accepted by 75 percent of the county's pharmacies. For pharmacy chains such as Eckerd, the card can also be used by Nassau residents who may need to fill a prescription out of state. Although CVS is not among participating pharmacies, Weitzman said there have been talks involving CVS accepting the card.

Local pharmacies in the area that will be accepting the NassauRx card include:

Eckerd Drugs, 1140 Willis Avenue, Albertson

Necessities Drug Center, 1010 Willis Avenue, Albertson

Health Bridge/Lo Carb Dietary, 131 Jericho Turnpike, Mineola

Walgreens, 1 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Eckerd Drugs, 52 Jericho Turnpike in Mineola

Franwin Pharmacy, 127 Mineola Boulevard, Mineola

Curascript Pharmacy, 630 Willis Avenue, Williston Park

Lafayette Pharmacy, 330 Hillside Avenue, Williston Park

Andrew Pharmacy, 370 Hillside Avenue, Williston Park

Eckerd Drugs, 444 Hillside Avenue, Williston Park