Dude, where's my Golden Buckeye Card?

Below are a few splices from a recent article in the Ohio Department of Aging's e-newsletter Boomerang: It All Comes Back to You - September 2011.
View the entire article at: http://www.aging.ohio.gov/news/boomerang/2011september/myfuture.asp

Dude, where's my Golden Buckeye Card?
Find it or replace it, then start using it!

At this year's Ohio State Fair, staff at the Department of Aging's booth in the marketplace building asked fairgoers to "show us your Golden Buckeye Card." About one in three dug through their wallets and proudly produced their cards. Another third shared that they never received one and the remainder admitted that they have the card but didn't carry it with them because they didn't think it was very valuable. Well, folks, the Golden Buckeye program is alive and well, and all Ohioans age 60 or older, as well as adults age 18 to 59 with disabilities, are eligible. So find your card, get a replacement if you need to, and start using it.

Cardholders have saved an estimated $2.5 billion since 1976. Savings will vary from 2 to 50 percent but typically are 10 percent. Golden Buckeye cardholders also can receive 10 percent off:

If you do not have prescription drug coverage, flip your Golden Buckeye Card over for valuable savings. This year alone, Golden Buckeye cardholders filled more than 125,000 prescriptions with an average savings per prescription of more than 42 percent.

You can go online at www.aging.ohio.gov to find businesses in your area that accept the Golden Buckeye card. Also, look for the Golden Buckeye logo on doors, windows and cash registers of businesses. If you don't see the logo, ask the business if they offer a senior discount. If they don't, encourage them to consider becoming a Golden Buckeye business.

Finally, we want to settle a debate. Some people at the State Fair asked when the age for the Golden Buckeye card changed from 55 to 60. The minimum age of eligibility for a Golden Buckeye card has been 60 since 1985. Prior to that (from the program's launch in 1976), the minimum age was 65. It has never been 55. Sorry about that. If you're in that range, you only have a few more years to wait, but it will be worth it.