Politics & Government
Towniship: Residents Saved $310,000 on Medications
The Coast2Coast Rx program has expanded to 29 more townships since coming to Niles Township in October 2010.
Niles Township residents have saved more than $310,000 in the past year by using the Coast2Coast Rx Card, a prescription drug card that gives users a discount on medications at no cost to the users or to the township.
Debby Karton, a benefits coordinator with the Illinois Public Pension Fund Association, attended the township board of trustees meeting on Oct. 11 to report on the first-year success of the program, which Niles Township was the first in Illinois to adopt. It is now available in 30 townships in Cook, Lake, DuPage and McHenry counties.
“Being first can be very exciting, like tonight,” Karton told the board before they cut a cake celebrating the first anniversary. “But sometimes being first can be a big risk.”
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According to the report, Karton presented people who received the card through Niles Township. More than 10,000 prescriptions were filled using the program in the past year, with savings of an average of 46.3 percent. The number of prescriptions filled each month rose from 157 in October 2010 to 1,443 in September of this year.
The card has helped people who are uninsured, those who are underinsured and those who have medical insurance but have high copayments on prescription medication.
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Karton commended Niles Township Supervisor Lee Tamraz for championing the program, which some people said was “too good to be true” when she first brought the program to the township’s attention.
The Coast2Coast Rx Card is free to users and incurs no costs to the township. Anyone, whether a Niles Township resident or not, can obtain a card from the township and present it at pharmacies to reap the savings. Major chains, such as Walgreens and CVS, participate in the program as well as independent pharmacies.
Ada Rabinowitz, a township employee, said the card is available for free at village halls, senior centers and some non-profit agencies in the township, which includes all or part of Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, Lincolnwood, Golf and Glenview.
Anyone may also pick up the card at Niles Township offices, at Main Street and Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, (847) 673-9300. The card is also available to download.
