Local Partnership Aims To Help People With Prescription Cost

By Kim Glovas 

LEHIGH VALLEY (CBS) -- A Community Service Partnership founded in the Lehigh Valley is now being offered nationwide to reduce prescription drug costs.

It started in 2005, under the name 'FamilyWIZE,' and was designed to help families and individuals save money on necessary prescriptions. Now, it's open nationwide, offering free prescription savings cards which allow consumers to plug-in the medication they need and their zip code, the search engine then provides the cost at different pharmacies in the area.

Doctor Linda Bernstein, a pharmacist with the organization says the number of people who take prescriptions is staggering.

"In Pennsylvania alone, over 183-million prescriptions were filled last year," Bernstein says.

A recent study shows many people refuse to fill a prescription because of cost. Bernstein says this online tool could help remedy that problem.