SENIOR CITIZENS Help is available for drug program

Internet access is crucial, but only one in four seniors have computers.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR HEALTH WRITER
"Buyer beware" is the advice given to senior citizens as they try to decide whether the new voluntary Medicare Prescription Drug Discount Card and Transitional Assistance Program is for them.
As its nine-word title seems to indicate, the new prescription drug card process is complicated and can be daunting, according to those charged with helping seniors decipher the program, which goes into effect June 1.
Also, it is temporary -- a stop-gap program created to provide some benefits until the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act, passed in December 2003, takes effect Jan. 1, 2006.
The good news is that at least there is something in place, said Deanna Clifford, director of community relations for the District XI Area Agency on Aging.
It took a long time to become law, Clifford said, and she doesn't want to see it repealed, as some legislators have proposed.
"It might take 10 years to get something else. I can't tell you the number of people who said 'what do I do until then,' meaning between when the current law was passed and its effective date, she said.
Yearly credit
One of the drug card program's best features, Clifford said, is a $600 yearly credit toward the purchase of prescription drugs, which seniors whose annual income is not more than 135 percent of the federal poverty level ($12,123 for single individuals and $16,362 for married couples).
But, even the credit has its detractors.
"What's $600 a year when it's nothing for me to pay $400 a month" in copayments for drugs, said Frances Carillio of Warren, whose income may make her eligible for the credit.
Carillio pays $25 a month for drug benefits through Anthem Senior Advantage, a Medicare replacement program.
To cut costs, she asks her doctor for samples.
"I feel like a beggar. I never had to feel that way before," she said.
Helping those who need it
The challenge is to make sure the people who stand to benefit the most, the low-income, get help accessing the program, Clifford said.
To become a member of a Medicare-approved drug discount card program, seniors must complete the standard enrollment form CMS-20016-A and return it to the discount card company they have selected.
Enrolling can be done manually, but to research the various cards available and determine which is best suited to their needs, computer literacy and Internet access are very important, Clifford said.
Unfortunately, it is estimated that only one in four seniors have computers, and low-income seniors are probably less likely to have a computer than the norm, said Deborah R. Zador, coordinator for Trumbull County's Prescription Assistance for Seniors program. People without computers can call (800) 633-4227, where an operator will walk them through the questions and mail a list of options.
The bottom line is, if seniors need help making sense of the new program and/or applying on line, they must ask for it, she said.
Checking around
Verne Hoehn of Warren also has Anthem Senior Advantage, but his plan has no drug benefits.
Currently, he buys his prescription drugs from Canada to save money. A three-month supply of one drug he needs is $200 at the Giant Eagle Pharmacy but $132 in Canada, he said.
However, Hoehn said he plans to check Anthem's senior prescription card prices against the Canadian prices before deciding which is best. Hoehn, a retired Republic Steel/LTV employee, lost his life and health care insurance and much of his retirement when the company went bankrupt.
People who are members of a Medicare managed-care plan cannot choose another discount card company if their managed-care plan offers a discount card. They can, however, choose any discount card in their state if their managed care plan offers cards to nonmembers.
Enrollment is complicated
Clifford said the enrollment process is complicated and she doubts that the average senior will be able to navigate the Medicare Web site -- www.Medicare.gov. -- without help.
"If I was going to design a system, it would not have 72 card choices nationwide and 28 card choices in Ohio," she said.
The discount cards are offered by Medicare-approved firms, mostly drug manufacturers, Medicare managed programs and health insurers.
Nonetheless, she urged people to approach the program with an open mind.
One of the keys, Clifford said, is seniors learning the cost of their prescription drugs at their local pharmacy, and comparing them with what the various cards offer.
Take your time
Zador urged seniors not to rush to sign up for one card or another, Zador said.
The program is voluntary, and waiting another month or two to thoroughly investigate and compare prices and benefits of the Medicare approved cards and other discount plans they may be a part of will not matter, she said.
Also, Clifford said, at this point, not all of the data is in the Medicare database.
Clifford said she plans to attend a training session on the Medicare drug prescription program this week, and then plans to conduct workshops for professionals in June so they in turn can help seniors navigate the system.
And, judging from the attendance at seminars on the prescription drug card program conducted by Chris Bierdeman, admissions and marketing director for Shepherd of the Valley, Boardman, interest and confusion are high.
Bierdeman said several hundred people, not all SOV residents, have attended community talks she conducted over the past couple of weeks.
The biggest questions they have are whom do they call and who is offering the cards.
Some of the people say that after talking to their pharmacist, they find they are getting a better discount from the pharmacy than they could through the Medicare program.
Bad signs
Also, it appears the market is starting to react to the Medicare program, which could in some instances be a negative for seniors.
Some of the people are starting to report that the price for their drugs, some of which have been steady for years, have gone up "enough to notice the difference," Bierdeman said.
Another bad sign, Zador said, is that Pfizer pharmaceutical is ending its Pfizer for Living Share Card Program, a patient assistance program under which eligible people can buy a month's supply of a Pfizer drug for $15. That is a very good deal for many people, and it is unlikely any Medicare approved discount card will be as generous, Zador said.
According to a Pfizer spokesman, the firm has developed its own Medicare-approved discount drug card.
Zador is concerned that Together Rx and Lilly Answers, two other patient assistance programs similar to Pfizer's, will follow suit.
alcorn@vindy.com