Chicago’s Windy City Rx Card is Better Than a ‘Spoonful of Sugar’: New Free Card for Residents & Visitors Helps the Medicine Bill Go Down at 800+ Chicago-Area Pharmacies

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) May 30, 2011

The Windy City Rx Card helps all Chicago-ans, whether they're rich or poor. But its likely to help Chicago's middle-class and seniors, who're struggling more with this tough economy, than anyone else. They're the ones who make too much money to get free government health care, but not enough to afford both medical and prescription insurance. They're the ones who need this card the most..

The Windy City Rx Card, although not insurance, gives cardholders instant savings on over 60,000 brand-name and generic drugs at over 59,000 pharmacies nationwide, including CVS, Walgreen's, Rite Aid, Kmart, Target, Walmart, Osco, Dominick's, Costo, Sams, and many other regional and independent pharmacies - more than 800 pharmacies in Cook County alone. Average savings in 2010 was over 50% off the regular price of a drug. And the card even provides discounts on pet prescriptions when filled at a regular pharmacy.

The Windy City Rx Card has no expiration date and can be used again, and again. It can be shared with other family members, friends, and co-workers. No personal information is needed to print a card. And you don't even have to have a physical card to save - you can jot the discount information down on a napkin and present it to the pharmacist. "An innovative first in our industry is that we've incorporated a Quick Response, or 'QR' code, on every page of our website, and on the back of every card that people can scan with their iPhone or Android-like smartphones which allows for easy-sharing of the card in today's wireless world," says Bill Kosloskey, Community Outreach Coordinator for the project. He adds, "We're also counting on Facebook and Twitter to get the word out about this great, free program - word of mouth is still king."

There are no income restrictions or health exclusions. And even those with prescription coverage can benefit from using the card to get discounts on drugs not covered by their prescription plan (e.g. Viagra, contraception and other life-style drugs). The card can also be used when working to meet a high deductible; while waiting for prescription coverage to begin; or during a plan gap (sometimes referred to as a donut-hole). Business owners are encouraged to distribute cards to all their employees to help stretch their paychecks and to their customers to help them free up money that can make it back into the local economy (maybe even back to the till of the business that shared the card with them).

Municipalities, organizations, community centers, hospitals, doctors, clinics, food banks, and other businesses wishing free physical cards to pass out to their audience can request them toll-free at 1-855-WINDY-RX (that's 1-855-946-3979).