Prescription medications don't come cheap, so to help ease costs, companies are mailing discount drug cards and encouraging consumers to present them at pharmacies for big discounts.By JAIE AVILANews 4 San AntonioSAN ANTONIO - Pharmacists say discount cards like the Rx Relief program and the National Prescription Savings Network are legitimate, but warn that the savings claims are exaggerated.Instead of a 75% discount, the cards will more likely save a consumer 10-15%.Sometimes those programs will not get them a better deal than just a regular cash price at the pharmacy, said pharmacist Marla Irvin.Also important to note is the national in National Prescription Savings Network. It may lead some to believe that it's part of the Affordable Care Act, but there is no connection to the legislation or the government.Instead, a company called ScriptRelief is the major force behind several drug discount cards, and it is paid by pharmacies when a card is used.In the fine print of the National Prescription Savings Network's privacy policy, it states that they share non-personal statistics about their customers with third parties.According to the LA Times, ScriptRelief is co-owned by a marketing company, which could profit from learning the type of products consumers use.With all things considered, pharmacist Marla Irvin says the card is undeniably good for one thing, and that's starting a conversation with your pharmacist on how to save money.There are a variety of other discount drug programs, including a card with Bexar County, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, HEB, and Walmart. Click on each name for a link to the programs.
