{"id":56223,"date":"2025-08-09T21:21:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T21:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/56223\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T21:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T21:21:16","slug":"arizona-joins-program-for-prescription-drug-discounts-of-up-to-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/56223\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona joins program for prescription drug discounts of up to 80%"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOENIX \u2014 Arizona is joining a multistate consortium to help lower the cost of prescription drugs by up to 80%, Governor Katie Hobbs announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n

She signed an executive order entering the state into ArrayRX, a public pharmacy collaborative with Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Connecticut and Ohio. The program includes a discount card for all FDA-approved prescriptions, as well as lower prices on over-the-counter medicines and supplies such as diabetes test supplies.<\/p>\n

\u201cJoining this compact means lower costs, fewer worries and healthier outcomes for working people, while many of Arizona\u2019s representatives and Congress [members] vote to strip health care access away,\u201d Hobbs said.<\/p>\n

With the card, consumers will be able to get up to 80% off generic drugs and up to 18% off name brands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe discount card operates to help the underinsured as well as the uninsured,\u201d said Trevor Douglass, who oversees Oregon\u2019s program as the director of the Oregon Health Authority\u2019s pharmacy policy and programs.<\/p>\n

The discount applies to a drug\u2019s \u201cusual and customary\u201d price, meaning it won\u2019t stack with reduced prices from other programs or insurance plans.<\/p>\n

Consumers who have insurance can get the card and compare prices. They can also use it for prescription drugs that their insurance won\u2019t cover. However, ArrayRX purchases won\u2019t count toward deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums.<\/p>\n

The program is free and won\u2019t cost the state taxpayer money. Unlike many for-profit discount programs, ArrayRX does not sell any customer information.<\/p>\n

Doctors and other health professionals joined Hobbs for the signing of her executive order on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Dr. Steven R. Brown, a family physician and University of Arizona professor, said high drug prices are a big barrier for his patients, saying everyday medications for common conditions can cost hundreds every month.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recently heard from a patient of mine who ended up in the emergency room with breathing problems from her asthma,\u201d he said. \u201cI asked her why she had to go to the emergency room. … She couldn’t afford to pick up her inhaler from the pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbs had proposed a plan to lower prescription drug prices in 2024, but her call for a state board to determine drug prices went unanswered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is action that we’re taking now, that will lower costs for Arizonans right now,\u201d she said. \u201cDoesn\u2019t mean we’re done fighting the rest of the fight, but this is action we can take right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

ArrayRX is a nonprofit run by a steering committee of public servants.
\u201cOur sole focus is on lowering drug costs for our constituents,\u201d Hobbs said. \u201cIt’s not on profits, it’s just on lower costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oregon and Washington launched the program in 2006 as the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium and expanded to other states in 2022. Just under 860,000 people are enrolled in ArrayRX\u2019s programs, according to Douglass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen states come together, they can then pool their purchasing power to the mutual benefit of all states that participate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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