Cullman County commissioners are confident a program they recently approved will lower prescription drug costs for many area citizens.

Some local pharmacists are not so sure.

“Our (independent pharmacy) prices are already lower than in those discount plans,” said Dr. Charlotte Edmondson of Lakeside Pharmacy. “Those plans are there just to get our patients.”

During their regular meeting June 9, the commission entered into a program offered by the National Association of Counties (NACo). The plan makes use of free prescription drug cards, which the commission plans to distribute throughout the county in the coming months. The cards will reportedly be accepted at many area pharmacies and provide discounts on prescriptions for uninsured or underinsured citizens.

Chris Bordon, owner of Bordon Family Pharmacy, said he had no idea the county was entering a discount card program until he read an announcement in The Cullman Times last week.

“I wonder if the shoe was on the other foot ... if I gave out tax coupons without telling them (commission) ... would they accept them,” Bordon asked.

Bordon said the problem with discount cards is they really only work at large pharmacy chains.

“There’s a history of businesses who raise prices too high to give a discount,” Bordon said. “They commonly give one person a discount and raise prices for others. I refuse to raise prices to give a discount.”

Rex Smith, manager of Hospital Discount Pharmacies, agreed with Bordon.

“The discount chains are making a killing, that’s the bottom line,” Smith said.

Edmondson said another problem with discount cards is they are designed mainly just for people who pay for drugs with cash. She noted that she downloaded a mail order direct cash price list of drugs from NACo’s web site and found her prices to be cheaper.

“All of my prices so far — cash prices — all of them are cheaper,” Edmondson said. “They are about one-fourth of what the discount mail order has. I don’t think it’s fair to patients to mislead them into thinking they are going to get a discount.”

For example Lovastatin — a drug that lowers cholesterol — costs $79 per 40 milligrams on the mail order, while Lakeside charges $35.50, she said.

According to a press release, NACo, in partnership with CVS/Caremark Rx, Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., created the discount program in 2004. There is no cost to the county, county taxpayers, or consumers to participate in the program. CVS/Caremark negotiates the discounts directly with the pharmacies. Neither NACo nor the participating counties receive any revenue from the program.

“Those cards don’t pay a penny to the pharmacy,” Smith said. “When something is free and you don’t pay anything, that’s what you get.”

County Commissioner Wayne Willingham, who brought the program to the county’s attention, said he and his fellow commissioners have no intention of hurting small businesses.

“Our intent is to help folks and help the businesses,” Willingham said.

Willingham said he plans to take more detailed information concerning the program to local pharmacists in the near future.

“As soon as I get the rest of the information, I’ll get out and talk to them,” he said.

The National Association of Counties is the only national organization that represents county governments in the United States. Founded in 1935, NACo provides essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties.

‰ Patrick McCreless can be reached by e-mail at patrickm@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at 734-2131 ext. 270.