Those are two pains that county governments, including several in Utah, are trying to ease by offering free prescription-discount cards to residents.

"Every official we talk to wants to do something to help their constituents battle the rising costs of health care, which is putting a drain on every health department in the country," Tom Goodman, director of public affairs for the National Association of Counties (NACo), said Thursday.

The cards, which come at no cost to the county or the individual who uses them, should be available within a few weeks. Cardholders can save an average of 20 percent on their prescriptions, depending on the brand.

This week, Davis County became the first Utah county to sign on to the program. Daggett, Cache, Box Elder and Kane counties are expected to follow suit.

There is no age or income limit for the cards. But Goodman cautions that those who have a prescription program with their health insurance will want to check which card will give them the biggest discount.

"It's designed to fill a niche of the underinsured and those with no coverage," Goodman said. "But the truth is that anyone can use them."

Pharmacies are willing to participate in the plan, he noted, because it draws customers to their stores.

It's a plan that sounds almost too good to be true, said Bountiful resident April Oswald, who refilled a host of prescriptions for her arthritis Thursday.

"I would look into it," she said. "But it seems like there is always a catch. It has to be a certain kind or a generic."

Drawing on its 2,000-county-strong membership, NACo devised the discount plan with Advance PCS, a Washington, D.C.-based prescription-benefits management firm that buys drugs directly from their makers and distributes them to national drugstores. The cards can be used at 57,000 pharmacies across the country and major online outlets.

All Utah counties are NACo members and eligible to participate.

"We hear all the time from people who are trying to stretch their dollars," said Davis County Commissioner Dannie McConkie. "To the elderly and the uninsured, a 20 percent discount is real money."

The county will hold a kickoff event when the program becomes available, he said.