Prescription drug savings cards in New York State
New York residents have several ways to cut what they pay for prescription drugs, even if they are uninsured or their plan has high deductibles and co-payments. County-sponsored discount cards, statewide savings programs, New York City initiatives and insurance-based help can all lower the cost of brand name and generic medications. Learn more about the various prescription medication discount cards in NYS below.
Types of medication discount cards in NYS
These programs are meant to work alongside the national prescription savings information already covered on needhelppayingbills.com and give people in New York practical, local options to keep their medicines affordable. All counties, including Onondaga, Erie, Oswego, Madison, Saratoga and those within New York City participate in these programs, and they remain open to every resident without income limits or insurance requirements. This is similar to the NACO prescription discount card concept.
The county cards are usually funded through an agreement between the county and ProAct and there is no cost to residents or taxpayers to join. The company negotiates discounted prices with pharmacies and passes the lower rate to cardholders. The discount card can be downloaded from county websites or from the ProAct New York program at https://www.NYRxDiscountCard.com or printed at local offices, and it can be used at more than 65,000 pharmacies nationwide (not to mention all in New York State), including almost all of the major chains and many independent pharmacies.
- New Yorkers generally save about 10 to 20 percent on brand name drugs and roughly 20 to 70 percent on generic prescriptions when they show the ProAct card, and in some counties the card also offers discounts on vision services, hearing aids, LASIK procedures and even some human-equivalent pet medications. The card is designed to be used when someone has no drug coverage or when a prescription is not covered by their plan, not to reduce regular co-payments that are already paid by insurance.
- New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) partner with ProAct, the Pharmacy Benefit Management Company. Residents can get information or ask for a card by calling the ProAct help desk at 1-877-776-2285 or by visiting https://www.ProActRx.com.
New York City residents also have access to the BigAppleRx prescription discount program. This card is sponsored by the City of New York and can be used by anyone living in, working in or visiting the five boroughs. BigAppleRx offers meaningful discounts on both brand name and generic medications and is accepted at thousands of pharmacies throughout the city and tens of thousands nationwide.
A more targeted option is the New York Prescription $aver Card. This program is intended for adults between fifty and sixty four or for people of any age who meet the federal disability determination. It has income limits of roughly thirty five thousand dollars for single adults and fifty thousand dollars for married couples. The $aver Card provides discounts that can reach sixty percent for many generic drugs and about thirty percent for many brand name prescriptions.
- Residents apply through the $aver Card help line at 1-800-788-6917 or through the program website at https://nyprescriptionsaver.fhsc.com. The card is mailed once the application is approved. It can be used at pharmacies across the state and is meant for adults who do not qualify for Medicaid or EPIC but cannot afford standard retail prices.
New York also offers the New York Rx Card, a separate free statewide prescription discount program. The New York Rx Card is open to all residents with no enrollment fee, health screening or income test. The program uses “lowest price logic,” which means the cardholder pays the lowest amount among a discount off average wholesale price, a discount off maximum allowable cost pricing or the pharmacy’s promotional or retail price.
- Average savings are described as roughly thirty percent, with the possibility of larger discounts on some prescriptions. Residents can generate and print a card directly from https://newyorkrxcard.com or use the “Create a Card” feature at https://newyorkrxcard.com/create and present it at participating pharmacies.
Additional savings can be obtained for households on Medicaid. Low income residents who qualify for full Medicaid coverage can receive even more extensive help through NYRx, the New York State Medicaid Pharmacy Program. As of April 1, 2023, most Medicaid members in mainstream managed care plans, Health and Recovery Plans and HIV Special Needs Plans have their prescription benefits provided directly through NYRx. The savings can be combined with discount cards as well.
- The program covers medically necessary Food and Drug Administration approved prescription and non-prescription medications and uses a preferred drug list to encourage the use of safe, lower cost medications without cutting off access to other needed drugs. It is often used at the same time as a discount card. Information for Medicaid members is available through the NYS Medicaid Member Helpline at 1-855-648-1909, the NYRx portal at https://newyork.fhsc.com and the Department of Health Medicaid pharmacy pages at https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/program/pharmacy.htm.
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