Residents saving with drug plan
ATHENS, Tenn. – Athens residents who are enrolled in a prescription drug discount program have saved more than $400,000 on more than 31,000 filled prescriptions since 2009, records show.
The program, administered through the National League of Cities, helps residents who don’t have health insurance or traditional benefit plans that cover prescription drugs.
Athens City Manager Mitch Moore told The Daily Post Athenian that the city pays just $2,000 in membership fees each year to provide the discount plan to residents free of charge.
The discount card provides an average savings of up to 20 percent off the regular retail prices of prescription medications. Other cities in Tennessee also provide the discount program, including Memphis, but Athens’ program accounts for 41 percent of the state’s total savings.
Newborns to get heart screening
NASHVILLE – Starting Tuesday, newborn babies in Tennessee will be screened for congenital heart defects with a device called a pulse oximeter.