This week, the NW Prescription Drug Consortium run by Oregon and Washington welcomed Nevada after Governor Steve Sisolak announced his intention to join. The state-backed NW Prescription Drug Consortium focuses on helping government and private purchasers of prescription drugs save money by providing a prescription drug discount card, pharmacy benefit management, prescription drug vouchers, workers compensation pharmacy benefits and Medicaid prescription drug management programs.
These benefits help over 1.1 million participants in Oregon and Washington save money on needed prescription drugs. The announcement by Governor Sisolak that Nevada will adopt the NW Prescription Drug Consortium’s ArrayRx Card Discount Card Program will extend the savings available through this program to residents of Nevada. State agencies that purchase drugs are core participants, but the program is open to local government, private sector businesses, labor organizations and individuals.
“We are thrilled to welcome Nevada into the NW Prescription Drug Consortium,” said Dr. Trevor Douglass, Pharmacy Purchasing Director at the Oregon Health Authority. “Now all Nevadans will be able to access the benefits of our discount card program and begin to save money on needed prescription drugs. Nevada’s state government programs will have the ability to access our other programs to save money as well.”
“The NW Consortium was created for states, by states. We are delighted that the state of Nevada is partnering with the NW Consortium to benefit from the services we offer,” said Donna Sullivan, chief pharmacy officer for the Washington Health Care Authority. “The residents of Nevada will receive the same savings as the residents of Washington and Oregon.”
“The State of Nevada is looking forward to working with the Consortium on this wonderful opportunity that will benefit Nevadans who face high prescription costs,” said Dr. Beth Slamowitz, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Senior Policy Advisor on Pharmacy. “We know these medications are vital to quality of life, but many people must face the difficult choice of paying for their medication or other daily needs. Thank you to Oregon and Washington for your work on this program that will benefit our residents.”
One of the key offerings of the NW Prescription Drug Consortium is its consumer-facing discount card program – the ArrayRx Card. Users of the card have access to the pooled pharmacy purchasing power of the states, resulting in savings of up to 80% for generic drugs and 20% for brand name drugs. The program is designed so the consumer can choose to use the ArrayRx Card or their pharmacy benefit, whichever provides a better price. All U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drugs prescribed by a licensed clinician are eligible for a discount, there are no formulary restrictions. Mail order and specialty drugs are also available.
The NW Prescription Drug Consortium also recognizes the value pharmacies contribute to the overall health and wellbeing for individuals and strives to balance savings for consumers with fair compensation for the professional services pharmacies provide to ensure residents of the states it serves continue to have access to local pharmacies in their communities.
To learn more about the consortium and the ArrayRX Discount Card, please visit www.arrayrxcard.com
About the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium:
The Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium (NW Consortium) formed in 2006 through a partnership between the states of Oregon and Washington. The NW Consortium was developed “by states for states” with the primary goal of offering lower prescription costs by negotiating discounts through aggregating prescription drug purchase volume. The ArrayRx Discount Card Program is one of the Consortium’s programs that provides enrolled consumers savings on their prescription medications. The ArrayRx Discount Card is accepted at more than 65,000 pharmacies nationally to get discounts on all FDA-approved drugs. The discount card is free, with no membership fees, age or income limits.
NW Prescription Drug Consortium programs, including the ArrayRx Discount Card, are administered by Moda Health, a provider of insurance programs and pharmacy benefit administration services to public and private groups in the Pacific NW.
