I don’t know why you couldn’t find them on the net, I googled them and several listings came up.
I called Health Benefit Network today and asked them how they make any money since there is no charge to the client. They told me that they receive a percentage of the discount from the pharmacy. And the reason the pharmacy complies is because they don’t want to lose your business since you could go to another pharmacy that accepts the discount cards.
Guys this all goes back and started with PBM’s (Pharmacy Benefit Managers). PBMs manage prescription drug benefit programs for employers, unions, health plans and other payers. PBMs were created to act as a broker between these payers and the drug companies to help control the cost of drug coverage. One popular method was to network all the major drug stores with insurance companies where insurance companies would get the best possible discount rate from the drugstore for their policy holders that they pay for their drugs for. EXAMPLE: If you work for a company and they provide you insurance that includes paying for medications , then when you go to a drugstore that has obligated itself to honor these discount rates to get some of the network business their way , you pay your (sometimes) co pay, get the medicine, and the drugstore bills the remainder discounted rate to your insurance company, …and in the deal, the drugstore pays a $2-$3 participating fee to the network for each prescription business it gets as a result of the of the network. (hint: this step is where money is made)
However, if a businessman with an Entrepreneur spirit about him was crafty enough, and had enough political inside info of how all this works, he could apply for and start his own company to be in this network and if approved, would be assiged an accredited PCN/PBM/BIN/GROUP number that he could issue to whoever he wants to benefit from the same discount prices that the insurance companies gets. So this businessman can then offer “free prescript cards” and can decide who he will make the beneficiary of their discounts, (normally the uninsured or under-insured), to allow them to get the same discounts as insurance companies get. He then prints up cards (like you got), puts his assigned numbers on it (so the drug store will recognize it and know who to pay that $2 - $3 fee back to. Then that businessman’s company makes a few dollars every time someone uses his card that he (or one of his workers) passed out. This type of business is now getting VERY VERY saturated, as more and more of these companies are now starting up and getting these “network accredited card numbers”, and each trying to get their cards into someones hands first. Search google for “discount prescription cards” and you will see pages and pages of these free card company s. Heck, look at the google ads on this very board and it will have 3 or 4 prescrip card companies ads showing in the google block ads. They advertise “Up to” 75% off, but realistically, 45% was the very highest I have ever heard that an actual user got, and most times the discounts are usually 10% -25% off when using a free script card, and sometimes nothing off, if it is a high tier drug.
Now the cards are fine to use, but there is some ripoff going on here, but it is seldom on you or the card (unless one was stupid enough to “pay money” for one of these free cards), but the ripoff/scam comes from “some” of these start up company’s promising “their” employees/reps that are looking for work, that if they will hand out, mail out, give so many thousands of these cards out, then they can make millions (company makes 2-3 bucks and workers make 50 cents “IF” someone actually uses uses the card that was handed out, HOWEVER, these actual workers working under these companies will usually end up getting very little profit for their efforts because the worker normally has to pay for all card printing and all distributing costs (stamps, gas, etc). So if you get an offer to hand out free prescrip cards, taking that job is the only real risk here, because you just might get 10,000 cards distributed for a company and they may not pay you a thing, and claiming you did something wrong and claiming an “out” so that they don’t have to pay you for any of your working efforts…but let me also state there are some GOOD companies out their too that are offering these free cards, that very fairly compensate their reps and employees for their distributing of cards So careful research and checking references will often separate one from the other of who to work for if you are looking for for a part time or full time job handing out free prescription cards.
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Of course keep in mind, this “free” card usually only benefits people that are paying for their prescriptions out of their pocket (normally the uninsured or under insured). If you have some form of government assistance, employment assistance, or private insurance coverage that offers prescription provisions, then the drugstore usually only lets you use one method or the other. So if you do try one of these cards, and have other means of prescription pay help, have the druggist to look at both and to figure which would reflect your better price to pay.
How do I know some of this? I personally investigated getting my own BIN/PCM/Group number to form my own network, but the politics and hoops to have to jump through was too involved, plus I found out you have to have some VERY inside contacts and info to tap into starting a company like this. Why am I posting today? I got one of these cards in the mail today too, and wanted to see if they were related to any of the networks I had checked out before or if I recognized any names that I looked into, so I stumbled onto this topic concerning this company as you did.
If you pay nothing on the front end for these types of cards, they are harmless. They either will have a legit BIN/PCN number on them that most any major drug store will verify when you try to use it, and if so, if you buy your medicine “out of pocket”, you really can get anywhere from a 0 to 45% discount on use. As far as privacy info that others have commented on, most of that pertains to info you send in or sign up for through using this company;s web page and not the use of card, …but in reality when using theses types of cards for med buying, confidentiality of your purchases is determined by your pharmacy, they control that through their own individual associations. Next time you are getting meds and using whatever payment you use now, ask them to explain who all may have access to you or your med purchases transaction info, if they start sounding dodgy, it is time to find a more trustworthy pharmacy that “IS” concerned about your privacy and more informed of their policy.
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but instead just sharing some research that I found out during a possible business venture into this field. …but as always, take mine and any prior comments of others, with a grain of salt, because I know for a fact some of these comments already made in this topic are trying to be helpful, but have no idea what they are talking about and just guessing, and are feeding you some very bad information for you to make an intelligent decision with.
I gave this card to my daughter just this morning and she took it to a local pharmacy.She has no insurance herself.The pharmacy told her it wouldn’t help but would raise the price of the prescriptions. So she didn’t use it. My sister said she also tried to use it at another local drug store and they said it wouldn’t do any good neither. Are these drug stores just telling us this.I know I used a different one at walgreens and it did help there! But it was not this card but another that we picked up I think in a health department somewhere.This one we got in the mail and evodently is either no good or they are lieing to use so we won’t use it.
Well my daughter has no help paying her prescriptions and no health insurance or prescription insurance at all no help period. She had to go to the ER cause she had no money only works enough hrs at work so that she will NOT get insurance coverage.She tried to use this card at our local drug store and was told that it wouldn’t help but may even raise the price of her prescriptions.:smack:
You make no sense! You said you used it and the medicine came to 217 then you used it and it cost 234?Did you use it twice?
I too was skeptical until I used my card today at my local Walgreens… one prescription went from $41.62 to $30.32… I was only expecting a few dollars off… i was very content with this card… i know i am appreciative that the pharmacies do accept these discount cards when medication cost are rising… any saving help!! good luck to the one’s having bad luck with these cards… make sure you check the list of pharmacies online they take this card. Only 4 places in my area take them and i live in a large city…
I emailed and requested assistance from a pharmaceutical company on my expensive prescription. They then sent me information on this company with suggestions to use it for other prescriptions.
Am out of town and will definitely give it a try when I return home, since the cost has stopped me from filling several prescriptions even with BC/BS insurance 
which covers only generics at a discount.
In my case the Rx would be worth the loss of privacy.
:pMy husband & I recently received a card each; we were also sceptical. I presented mine to Walgreens this morning for my prescription purchase and they confirmed it was legit. I didn’t use it because the 75% was less than my BCBS discount. You must use 1 card or the other at a time. On the other hand, my husband wll use his card because the discount is more than his BCBS coverage.
Did anyone else pay action to the envelope there are 2 different zip codes posted on it, at least there was on mine. One was the 20016 which they themselves put on it, but also there is the one from the US postal service from the zip code 60515 which is Downers Grove, IL. An I don’t know about you but when I get mail from people it generally is stamped some where near it not states away. The letter we got also had my moms main medication listed on it. Now they did have two separte member Id’s. An if you read on the front of the card it says “this is not insurance” an I’m sorry to those who believe this but I didn’t ask for it, and it seems strange that so many people had these “cards” just “show” up, and with your medication listed on it. No, beside any letter with a p.s. and a p.p.s. isn’t real. Also when you say free so many times, I don’t trust it, also it’s written WAY to friendly not in a straight forward manner that REAL companies use, also look at all of the words they have typed, with no fine print-major red flag. Let me know if this helps anyone,
Llama llama, glad to have you with us. I hope you’ll stick around, investigate our site, and contribute again. Maybe some day we’ll reach a firm conclusion about this matter.
But not yet. While you are right to be skeptical, I don’t think we have found a definitive answer about this medical card/company. It isn’t clear whether they are a scam or just straddling the line between invasion of privacy and useful discounts.
Just because something is mailed from a different zipcode than expected doesn’t prove the mailers are up to no good. There are many legitimate reasons why this might happen.
I suggest you just be cautious. Take advantage of discounts if you can, but don’t think you are getting something for nothing.
And if anyone from the “Health Benefit Network” is listening, it would be good if you would come clean, lay all your cards on the table (if you dare), and 'fess up to what’s up. We’ll be glad you did.
Got one of these cards the other day and research led me here. The following quote comes to mind:
If you’re not paying for it, then you aren’t the costumer. You’re the product.
If you’re not the costumer, what are you wearing?