Health Discount Cards allow the user to avail healthcare services and prescription drugs at discounted prices.
Prescription cards are common in some countries like USA and are in nascent stage in India.
How Health and Prescription Discount Card WorkS
Health discount cards companies form a network in partnership with healthcare and medicines providers .
Discount Card Company or middlemen negotiate with providers to fix discounts. Discounts are transferred to card users. Healthcare and medicines providers gain because they get more people to avail their services.
Discount card work like discount coupons. Where you avail discount my showing these cards at hospitals, labs, clinics and pharmacies in the network.
Discount card provider make money by charging referral fees on providers, by displaying advertisements on website or app, and also sometimes by charging card fees to buyers.
In India health discount cards are in nascent stage. So you will not find easily a card having a good coverage and utility across all cities. In USA goodrx and walgreens are among common prescription discount cards. However effort have been made in this direction. healthwealth card http://www.healthwealthcard.com/ is such an initiative. They are currently charging lifetime fees of 160 rupees for providing card.
Please note in USA when user uses discount card, he did not get back money spend on medicines through insurance. So people uses discount card when discount is more than insurance benefit. This is because , In USA providers claim insurance on behalf of customers to fill up some discount. In India however situation could be different and you should clarify with card provider if you will get both your health insurance benefits and discount by using their card.