Earlier this month the Dallas County Commission and Financial Marketing Concepts Inc. announced the launch of a new discount program for prescription drugs locally. Once launched, the new Coast2Coast Rx card says it will allow for all county residents, regardless of income, age or health status to participate and save in the cost of prescriptions as well as costs of screenings, lab work and even pet medication. The cost is free to all and there are no contracts involved.

The program advertises it can help individuals save up to 65 percent on their medication costs for both generic and name brand drugs. But if this deal sounds too good to be true it just might be.

The Selma Times-Journal investigated and found that applying for the card only took two steps — going to a web address and then typing in a name and phone number.

One pharmacy in town, says the savings program and what it advertises might be misleading.

Tim Gibbs, manager of Dallas Avenue Pharmacy said this new discount card should not get your hopes up high.

“It’s not a big deal and it’s not anything you should throw your hands up in the air and jump for,” Gibbs said.

He explained that when the program advertises that it can save up to 65 percent the key in that sentence is, “up to.” It may save you zero percent. He has even seen customers come in with similar cards and the cards inflated the price once he ran them through.

“I found that these really don’t help my customers that much,” Gibbs said. Because, he explained, they usually cannot be used in conjunction with insurance and most of his customers are insured.

According to the Coast2Coast website, Brown Drug Company, Carter Drugs, CVS Pharmacy on Highland Avn., Dallas Avenue Pharmacy, Medical Center Pharmacy, Pilcher-McBryde Drug Company, Walmart Pharmacy on Highland Avenue, Winn Dixie Pharmacies on both Highland Avenue and Dallas Avenue and Valley Grande Pharmacy are all listed as participating in the discount card.

However when the Times-Journal contacted several of the pharmacies, like Carter and Brown as well as Dallas Avenue Pharmacy, the stores said they had no knowledge of the Coast2Coast Rx savings card or any discount card allowing the things the program promised.

Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said the savings program is expected to have a sizeable impact on those uninsured residents or residents facing high insurance deductibles.

“This program was supported and endorsed by ACCA so it has obviously worked,” Ballard said. “We heard testimonials from some commissioners in other areas that had been able to use the program in conjunction with Blue Cross.”

Ballard said the way the program was sold to him was that this savings program encourage local pharmacy business by reducing cost and encouraging residents to not have to do mail-order pharmaceuticals.

“I haven’t had any complaints from the public but one of my employees attempted to use the card and was looked at in a very bewildered manner by the pharmacist,” Ballard said.

The savings program does not cost the county any money, but instead the Financial Marketing Company will pay royalties of $1 to the county for each prescription that goes through on the program.