County Considers Discount Prescription Promotion

A company offering a free card for discount prices on prescription drugs is asking the Highlands County commissioners to participate at no cost in the company's marketing plan.

If commissioners agree, Financial Market Concepts Inc. (FTC) of Ponte Verda would pay the county a royalty of between 25 to 50 cents for every prescription filled with the card by county residents.

June Fisher, director of the county's community services division, said the royalty payments would be used for the emergency prescription program offered by the county's department of human services.

The proposal will be considered at Tuesday's county commission meeting.

Fisher will present the commissioners with a comparison of prescription prices through FTC's Coast2Coast RX card, which the company will market and distribute free, and six other discount prescription cards.

"As you look through the list, the CTC price is generally less than those we compared them with," she said.

Any company can offer discount prescription cards in the county. Fisher said by agreeing to accept the royalty for prescription filled by county residents, the county would be "endorsing" the Coast2Coast card.

"It is a non-exclusive contract," Fisher said. The commissioners could enter a similar agreement with any other company, she said.

"From my understanding," Fisher added, "it (Coast2Coast card) could be used at any pharmacy."

FTC is offering to pay the county 25 cents per prescription filled by county residents up to 50,000 prescriptions per month, and 50 cents per prescription over that amount.

Fisher said there are no estimates on how much revenue FTC's proposal would bring the county.

Fisher was assigned to investigate the offer and said the county has no responsibilities or direct involvement in the company's market plan except to a sign a contract accepting the royalty payments per prescription.

The contract would run month to month and thus could be canceled by the county at any time.