My husband received two Rx Relief cards in the mail. It came from a company called Healthcare Alliance. A little digging around on the internet revealed that this is something to stay away from! Everything about it sounds like a scam.
The mail my husband got from Healthcare Alliance looked very much like what one would receive from a legitimate insurance company. The letter said “Good news- You’ve been accepted!”, which is odd, because my husband never applied for anything from this company. The letter had two, plastic, cards attached to it that, at first glance, look very much like insurance cards. There is a member number, and a logo that is blue, and resembles the logo of the Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance company.
The cards have an enticing statement printed on them. “Save up to 75% off on 50,000 drugs at over 50,000 pharmacies”. It sounds too good to be true. According to NewsChannel 9, in Syracuse, New York, “pharmacies will not accept the card on top of any insurance the person already has”. It also says “the Healthcare Alliance card is not an insurance card – it is simply a discount card”.
If it isn’t an insurance card, then what is the Rx Relief card supposed to be for? The letter I got is trying to convince me that I can use the card to save money on prescription medication. It sounds too good to be true. I called a local CVS pharmacy to see if I could get any clarification.
The pharmacist has heard of the Rx Relief card. She has had people use it. She said it is not insurance, but works more like a AAA card. This particular pharmacist at CVS explained how it worked.
A person has a prescription at their pharmacy. The person hands over the Rx Relief card. CVS bills “whatever company is on the card”. The remaining portion of the bill comes back to the customer. She said it is somewhat useful for people who don’t have health insurance, and gives a better discount if your prescription is generic. I’m still not clear on where, exactly, my information would be going if I used the Rx Relief card.
I’m still finding this to be troubling. The pharmacist said she had no idea how Healthcare Alliance got my husband’s information, in order to send him the cards. She said “they just mail them out to people”. The card itself says “Rx Relief” on the front, and “Script Relief” on the back, and the letter came from Healthcare Alliance. I’m confused. Why is this company using so many different names?
The Healthcare Alliance website says “The HealthCare Alliance was created by Script Relief LLC.”. The Better Business Bureau has given Script Relief LLC an F (on a scale from A+ to F). It also says “This Business is Not BBB Accredited”. This doesn’t make me feel as though it is safe to use this card my husband got in the mail! The only thing I am certain about is that the Rx Relief card is not a form of health insurance.
Image by Amanda Hatfield on Flickr