Thousands of  prescriptions go unfilled simply because they are too expensive to fill. But free FamilyWize prescription discount cards, provided by United Way of Island County, address this problem. Last year, this partnership saved residents $30,788 by cutting the cost of medicines by an average of 35 percent.

“The cost of a prescription really shouldn’t be a factor, but, more and more, we’re finding that the high price of medicine means that people have to make a choice. They can either fill a prescription or put food on the table and keep a roof over their head,” said Cathy Niiro, executive director of United Way of Island County, in a press release. “FamilyWize free prescription cards save an average of $20 per prescription. Those savings oftentimes mean the difference between taking a medicine or skipping it.”

United Way of Island County is part of a nationwide grassroots effort in conjunction with FamilyWize Community Service Partnership. The free cards are accepted at 95 percent of pharmacies nationwide, including all major chains. Using a card to save on prescriptions doesn’t require enrollment or personal information, so they’re ready to use the minute you receive one, according to Dan Barnes, co-chair of FamilyWize.

“This helps people who have no insurance the most, but it can also help people with insurance if it doesn’t cover their medicine,” said Barnes. “It’s easy, like using a coupon. Just take it to your local pharmacist, and they’ll know exactly what to do to automatically apply all the savings available to you.”

An estimated 16 percent of Americans didn’t fill at least one prescription in 2010, and another 13 percent reported taking expired drugs, skipping a dose (12 percent) or splitting pills without approval from their doctor or pharmacist (8 percent). Niiro said the “alarming statistics” are from the 2010 Health Tracking Household Survey, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In most cases, cost was the reason cited.

FamilyWize was the first organization to offer prescription discount cards for free to everyone, locally and nationwide, struggling with the high cost of medicine. Since its founding in 2005, the organization has worked with almost 1,000 local United Ways across the country to help more than 3.4 million people save over $300 million on their prescriptions.

To get your FamilyWize discount card, call 675-1778 or visit www.FamilyWize.org [www.unitedwayic.org to print a card you can use immediately. Cards are also available at most local pharmacies.