More than 100 O'ahu pharmacies will participate in a new prescription drug discount card program launched here yesterday, Honolulu officials said.

The program is free to all O'ahu residents, who can expect to see discounts averaging 22 percent on a number of prescription drugs that are not covered by health insurance, officials said. Some prescription drugs for pets will also be discounted.

The cards are available now at all satellite city halls and from the City Council, which initiated the program here through Honolulu's membership in the National Association of Counties.

NACo president Eric Coleman said more than 900 Mainland counties already participate in the program, and that it had saved consumers more than $60 million over the past three years.

"This has been NACo's most innovative program to date," Coleman said during a news conference at Honolulu Hale. "Not surprisingly, the program continues to grow."

The program has been successful because it is free, easy to participate in, and has no medical restrictions, he said.

Proof of O'ahu residency will be required to receive a card, but there are no medical tests, fees or paperwork to fill out, officials said.

The program is administered by pharmaceutical services giant Caremark Rx Inc. The company negotiates with pharmacies to offer discounts, then collects a small fee from them for each transaction. Pharmacies participate because they anticipate that will attract customers who make additional purchases.

"There is no cost to Honolulu taxpayers, and I think that's the bottom line," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said. "The NACo prescription discount card offers significant savings for the uninsured and underinsured residents of Honolulu, and even those fortunate enough to have prescription coverage can use the card to save money on drugs that are not covered by their health plan. Residents do not have to be Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible for this program."

Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz began working three years ago to bring the program to O'ahu, and the full council gave final authorization last month.

"I'm glad we can do something for taxpayers that doesn't cost them anything," Dela Cruz said.

Participating retailers on O'ahu include major grocery, drug and variety stores such as Costco, Don Quijote, Kmart, Longs, Safeway and Times, as well as a range of smaller outlets like Apo's Farmacia, Haleiwa Pharmacy, Mina Pharmacy and The Pillbox Pharmacy.

The discount cards will also be recognized at many Neighbor Island pharmacies, and at more than 59,000 others on the Mainland. The program may soon be available to residents of some Neighbor Island counties, Coleman said.

A spokesman for Hawai'i's branch of the American Association of Retired Persons wasn't familiar with the program but said the cost of medications is a serious concern.

"While I can't comment on the effectiveness of the NACo program, I do know that prescription drug prices are rising at about twice the rate of general inflation, and that is of great concern to all Hawai'i residents — especially elderly people living on fixed incomes," AARP spokesman Bruce Bottorff said. "There's no silver bullet to slowing the rise in drug prices, but allowing Medicare to bulk-purchase drugs at lower costs and increasing access to lower-priced generic drugs are two steps we can take to help ease the burden of higher drug costs."

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