One Bay Area county is taking matters into its own hands to bring drug expenses down for residents as proposals for a universal healthcare system stall out at the state level.
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Under Santa Clara County's newly launched MedAssist program, residents suffering from a number of common ailments can now apply to get reimbursed for the money they're spending on prescription drugs.
Residents have been struggling to meet the rising costs of prescription medication for some time.
"The patients are in tears when they start hearing about this program," said Narinder Singh, with the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
"The patients tell us stories of how difficult it is for them – to take the drug or to put food on the table," he said.
The MedAssist program launched just over a month after a statewide push to create a universal healthcare system in California ended in failure.
While that option is no longer a possibility for the time being, the issue of high medical costs isn’t going away.
"Folks I represent can't wait," said Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. The problem is "right here, right now, and it costs a small fortune to make sure they stay well."
Applications for the program are available online or at the county's pharmacies.
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