In such a poor economy, many people find themselves struggling to pay for basic needs, so when it comes time to purchase something like prescription medication, there oftentimes isn’t enough money to go around.

Franklin County officials hope this won’t be the case anymore for area residents after the new Coast2Coast Rx card program is officially unveiled at a press conference on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Franklin County Commission Office.

The program, which is made possible through the Florida-based Financial Marketing Concepts, Inc. (FMC), is a free discount prescription drug program that can provide savings on 60,000 drugs listed on the national drug registry, with some savings being as high as 85 percent.

Ron Howard, a distribution partner for FMC, said the Coast2Coast Rx card will be available in many doctors’ offices, pharmacies and government offices throughout the county at no cost to residents. All a person has to do is pick up a card and tell a participating pharmacy your code

“This card is kind of like a coupon you would get in the paper,” Howard said. “You receive a point-of-sale discount, which means you get the savings right then when you purchase your medication.

“This program is open to anyone regardless of their age, income or their health status. If you don’t have insurance or if you are insured but have a high deductible, co-pay or the drug you need is excluded from coverage, you will pretty much receive a discount every time you use the card.”

Howard said the discount card is free to the consumer and free to the county and the county will actually generate revenue from the use of the cards through a dispensing fee that is already built in to the price of the drug.

“This is really a win-win situation for the county and the residents,” he said. “This card gives the consumer the chance to pay what their insurance would pay and eliminates all the extra cost while at the same time making money for the county.”

Howard said the Coast2Coast Rx card has received high praise from other counties in Alabama who have already started using the program.

“One of the county commissioner’s in an Alabama county that currently uses the program recently went to get a prescription filled. He had insurance but even with insurance the medicine was going to be $75.

“He remembered his discount card and that $75 medication went down to $35. That’s a big difference to a lot of people.”

Howard said he has also personally seen how important the card could be to people with no insurance at all.

“I know a lady who had been very sick and had to go to the emergency room because her sickness had gotten so bad,” he said. “She was given a prescription that was going to cost her $185. She had tears in her eyes because she knew she couldn’t purchase the medication, but her pharmacist remembered the discount card and got her medication down to $35.

“There are so many stories where this card has made such a difference for people and I really think it will make a difference for Franklin County residents as well.”

Howard said almost all major chain pharmacies accept the Coast2Coast Rx card and many of the local pharmacies accept the card as well.

“This card will also work for pet medications and will provide many dental and vision discounts as well,” he said.

Howard said the card is code-driven, which means the discount is given through the county’s code and not a code that is specific to each person or family. Because of this, the Coast2Coast Rx cards can also be printed online by visiting www.coast2coastrx.com.

The Coast2Coast Rx card website also provides information about participating pharmacies and drug pricing.