Santa Barbara County officials on Tuesday announced that a new drug discount card program approved by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on July 14 is now available to all county residents.

“Santa Barbara County is proud to provide its residents with the new Coast2Coast RX pharmacy discount program to help provide them with additional relief to counter the rising costs of prescription drugs,” board chairman and 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno.

The discount cards are easy to obtain and can be used at most major and independent pharmacies throughout Santa Barbara County. There are no eligibility requirements, and the program is open to all county residents, including family members living outside the county, regardless of income level, age or health status.

The Coast2Coast Rx card is distributed for free by Financial Marketing Concepts Inc. and may provide significant cost-saving discounts to residents without health insurance or to underinsured residents with high deductibles. It also may provide savings to people in need of prescription medications not covered by their health plans.

In the past two years, other Coast2Coast cardholders saved an average of 38 percent off the retail price of more than 60,000 prescription drugs and medications in the program’s formulary, according to Marty Dettelbach, the company’s chief marketing officer.

The discount card is available online at www.coast2coastrx.com/santabarbaraca and at all participating pharmacy locations and many county facilities. Cardholders can check online for specific prescribed medications, the cost and the location of the nearest participating pharmacy.

“Using the Coast2Coast Rx Discount Card is easy,” Centeno said. “Simply present it at a participating pharmacy. There is no enrollment form, no membership fee, and no restrictions or limits on frequency of use. Cardholders and their family members can use the card any time their prescriptions are not covered by insurance or other means.”

Click here or call 800.931.8872 or 805.568.2820 for more information.

— William Boyer is the communications director for Santa Barbara County.