Dear Editor:
Recently the Zimmer administration joined with the prestigious Heinz Foundation to announce a drug prescription program that is available not just to seniors, but to each and every citizen of Hoboken. The plan will be accepted (at least initially) by all Hoboken Pharmacies. It promises savings of up to 80 percent. 45 percent is considered to be the average. The plan includes imaging and tests where savings are estimated at 50-80 percent and even your pets are included. There are no restrictions such as health concerns. You can pick up a card online and find more information at www.hobokennj.org, at most pharmacies, City Hall, the library, Multi-Service Center, the Housing Authority and HUMC.
A local website mentions two “better” cards and asked Hobokenites to compare them. Well, I did. The first, TogetherRxAccess, only accepts people earning $45 thousand a year or less, $60 thousand for families. The Hoboken Card as stated is open to 100 percent of us. The second is YourRxCard, which offers 0 to 75 percent in savings. What they don’t tell you is that the card can only be used in two Hoboken pharmacies, Baron’s and Albini’s. The Hoboken Card covers seven independent pharmacies (that I could find) and chains such as CVS (three stores), Rite Aid (two stores), ShopRite and our brand new Walgreens.
Using their link (it changes slightly every day) I went through 10 Google pages and found 19 applicable, additional discount cards. Two had income limits similar to TogetherRxAccess and were ignored, five showed differences between generics and brand names (probably the same with the Hoboken Card). Only three come close and are accepted city wide: RxDrugCard, RxCard and HealthTrans. These cards do not include Walgreens, although it’s possible, because it’s so new to Hoboken. The difference is that RxDrugCard charges an annual fee of $45 (single) to $50 (family) while the Hoboken Card is free. HealthTrans and RxCard are similar, but offer no better savings. Additionally, those plans do not cover pets, tests and imaging.
I have provided to the Reporter a spreadsheet comparison and you can find it online at the Hoboken Revolt blog section. You can understand how valuable this free card could be for you, your family and especially your pets. You should check your own medications first on the other links and some of the limited pharmacy plans may work better in your case. It may not work for everybody, but I urge you to give the Hoboken Card a try and ignore the naysayers. You can always find another plan that works for you, but for most people this one appears to be the best I can find.
Scott Siegel