The launch of the new Coast2Coast Prescription Drug Card Program here in Cherokee County – has already met with some resistance from local pharmacists.

During Monday’s Press Conference – immediately following the Cherokee County Commission Meeting – Ron Howard, a representative from the organization Financial Marketing Concepts – spoke to those gathered about the new program.

A Media News Release given out during the presentation contained the statement “this program has saved cardholders throughout the nation over 60% in 2013 on the cost of prescription drugs”

While there may indeed be beneficial aspects associated with the card – some local pharmacists are saying that the card isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Blake Johnson at Johnson Pharmacy in Cedar Bluff told us he probably wouldn’t be participating in the program since his pricing was already close to cost, and on Wednesday, we spoke with the owner of Dean’s Pharmacy in Centre, Tracy Bishop.

Bishop said that he had done some research on the card – running sample prescriptions through the system – and this is what he found:

Another pharmacist on Tuesday told WEIS Radio that if you go to a large chain pharmacy such as Walgreen’s or CVS, where their prices are set – the card may provide a little help however if you go to the smaller, locally owned pharmacies – 99% of the time, the cash price is going to be cheaper than using the card.

Bishop shared his overall opinion of the program:

He also touched on the subject of the “royalty” which would be paid to the County Commission through the program:

We understand that a certain number of prescriptions would have to be filled before that part of the agreement would go into effect.

Coast2Coast says the concept is simple: Coast2Coast and its Pharmacy Benefits Manager have used their purchasing power to negotiate discounts in the same way that insurance companies do

According to information in the aforementioned Media News Release, this program is currently in use in a total of 28 other counties across Alabama. Commissioner Marcie Foster told us that she had been in contact with a number of commissioners in those counties, and they all had very positive things to say about the program.

While the card may be beneficial in some cases – to some people – that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to create a windfall of savings.

Check with your pharmacist prior to using the card, and let them explain how it would work for YOU.

For additional information on the card visit the website www.coast2coastrx.com