All County Residents Offered Discounts on Dental, Vision and Hearing Care

Posted on: Jul 16th, 2013 | News and Announcements

Mobile County residents can now get discounted dental, vision and hearing care through a program started by Mobile County Commissioners three years ago - a benefit that already has saved local residents millions of dollars. The Mobile County Commission launched a prescription discount card program in May 2010 to provide residents ? primarily those with little or no medical insurance or high deductibles - an option for discounted prescriptions and some discounted lab work. Through May of this year, the card has saved participating residents more than $4.3 million on their prescriptions ? an average of more than $1 million a year. Now the company, Coast2Coast out of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, has partnered with dentists and vision and hearing care providers to offer discounts to Mobile County cardholders. The cards are available online at http://www.coast2coastrx.com/index.php. They also can be picked up at many chain and independent drug stores and at Government Plaza county offices. ?They are free and there is no paperwork, cost or enrollment period,? noted County Commissioner Jerry Carl. ?Plus, one card can be used for an entire family.? ?It?s a great resource for the underinsured or those whose medications are not covered by traditional insurance,? noted County Commission President Merceria Ludgood. Network dentists have agreed to charge members using a fixed fee schedule that is typically 25 to 40 percent below their usual charges. There are more than 140,000 dental providers nationwide in the system. To locate a provider or for more information, call 1-800-931-8872. The vision care networks consist of more than 12,000 providers nationwide. They include mail-order contact lens replacement programs, discounts on LASIK corrective surgeries, eyeglass frames, tints and lenses and more. The same number as above may be used to identify local eye care providers. A discount of up to 35 percent is offered for medical care related to hearing problems, including a 35 percent discount on hearing aids. About 2,000 providers nationwide offering the hearing care discounts. Details on these services, along with discounts on veterinary services, diabetes equipment and supplies, and discounts on lab work and imaging can also be found at the Coast2Coast website. The county of Mobile does not incur a cost to participate in the Coast2Coast program and, in fact, earns $1 each time the card is used ? a distinguishing feature that contributes to the financial health of the county. ?But the reason we joined the program was to provide a service to our constituents,? noted Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson. ?It can help with out-of-pocket payments for medications and health services, and it helps offset the expense of high deductibles in some cases.? ###