Warren County could be in the health care business by this summer, thanks to a vote Monday by supervisors to make prescription drug discount cards available to the public.

Developed by the National Association of Counties, the program is designed to give the uninsured and under-insured a break on prescriptions at no cost to a county.

In Mississippi, 37 counties participate in the program, according to the Washington, D.C.-based organization’s website.

“It can only be a win-win for people,” said District 3 Supervisor Charles Selmon, whose push six years ago to implement the program locally fell flat when questions over liability arose. State law holds counties cannot sign over immunity from liability to a third party.

Selmon’s motion gave Board President Bill Lauderdale authority to sign a contract to start offering the cards. How and where they will be made available was left undetermined.

District 5 Supervisor Richard George asked a final question on liability before the measure passed without dissent.

“It does not forego our immunity in this state,” board attorney Marcie Southerland said in response. “I am sure of that. The contract states that as well.”

Though no contract draft was presented Monday, Southerland said one would be ready to sign and “within 10 weeks, we’ll be up and running with this program.”

The organization stresses the benefit does not act as an insurance card and can’t be combined with benefits provided with employer-based health insurance coverage. Still, those who obtain a card will receive the best price available at participating pharmacies.

The savings average 24 percent on prescriptions, depending on what medication is prescribed. Counties incur no charge for administering the program, though they do spend money to promote and advertise it, and participants fill out no forms. No age or income restrictions apply, according to the company.

Counties must be NACo members to opt into the program. NACo’s website says the program started nationwide in 2005.

The third-party vendor for the program is CVS Caremark Inc., the largest pharmacy health care provider in the nation.

CVS buys medications in bulk from their makers and distributes them through a network of 64,000 pharmacies nationwide, including 7,000 CVS stores. Vicksburg has no CVS location, but the organization lists 15 pharmacies as participating locations, including Walgreens and Walmart.

Advertising and promoting the program could come through a variety of sources, including print media and cable access television, said County Administrator John Smith. He had been instructed by supervisors earlier this month to call other counties around the state to gauge their experience with the cards.

NACo sent fliers to Hinds and Adams counties to help get the word out, and advertising on government access television has cost Hinds County about $58,000 since joining the program four years ago, Smith told the board Monday.

In Lee County, a link to sign up for the card is one of two on the county’s website, the other being to sign up for emergency alerts. A board secretary is assigned to manage the program there, Smith said.

In Claiborne County, officials said no cost was incurred for fliers, but participation was said to be down because supervisors have not “stayed on top” of promoting the card, Smith said.