Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz came to downtown Brooklyn Wednesday to trumpet the success of the BigAppleRx discount card, which is used for discount medical prescriptions, and to encourage Brooklyn residents to use it.
Since the city rolled out the card back in May, New Yorkers have saved over $1.5 million in prescription drug costs, while Brooklyn residents have saved $295,000, according the New York Health Department.
The BigAppleRx card is available to everyone living in, working in, or visiting the city, regardless of age income, citizenship, or health insurance status. Markowitz health department official Amanda Parsons spoke to a crowd at Fulton Mall outside a Duane Reade pharmacy and handed out the discount cards.
“This enables those Brooklynites to get huge discounts on the cost of those prescriptions. I can’t think of a better deal than BigAppleRx,” Markowitz said. “You are able to get the medicine you need, and get well quickly under your doctor’s care. In society too often residents fall through the cracks on Medicare and Medicaid. This program is a lifesaver.”
The free card is available at 700 locations throughout city and Brooklyn, and it can be used to purchase brand name and generic medications, including over-the-counter drugs. The card also comes in an iPhone application and can be printed out from the BigAppleRx website.
Parsons also said that more than 36,000 New Yorkers have used the card to date. “The card is used most often for drugs that treat hypertension, for drugs that help you quit smoking, for drugs to help you lower your cholesterol, for drugs that help you manage diabetes,” she said. “That’s exactly what we want people to do with this card.”
Bed-Stuy resident Cheryl Fowler, 51, who was in the crowd, said she was hearing about the card for the first time. She plans to use it for both herself and her parents.
“My parents spend money on drugs,” said Fowler. “It adds up after all these years. [This] will help them spend less so they can enjoy their retirement.”
David Mckoy, 43, of East New York, said he will use the card to buy stop-smoking medication.
“I’m trying to stop,” said Mckoy, who was on his break from work. “I’ve been smoking for so long, but if it [the card] is going to help me buy the patch then I’ll do it.”
According to the health department, which sponsors the program, the card provides savings of 47 percent on prescription medications, 15 percent on brand name drugs, and 53 percent on generic drugs.
“I don’t care if your three-years-old or 80-years-old, there are times in your life that you need medications,” said Markowitz. “Some of us need it on a regular basis. The truth is Brooklynites and New Yorkers save a lot of money.”