Since last year, Dennis Livingston has helped many senior adults save money on their prescription drug bills.
Now that the Medicare-approved drug discount cards are available, careful shopping will help seniors continue to save money on their medications.
Livingston advises senior adults to research their options before committing to a discount card.
“Don’t assume because your pharmacist says it’s the best choice it is,” Livingston said. “You have the whole month of May, and even longer actually, to see what’s going to happen.”
Livingston emphasized that the Medicare-approved discount cards are voluntary, and he added that the opportunities for savings that existed before the Medicare-approved cards came out will still be there.
“Many senior adults were successfully lowering their prescription bills before [the changes in Medicare] came into play,” Livingston said. “This just presents another set of choices.”
Low-income Medicare recipients in Alabama have had access to free or low-cost medications for the past two years through Alabama’s SenioRX program.
Administered statewide by the Alabama Department of Senior Services, SenioRX already has helped more than 20,000 Alabamians lower their prescription drug costs.
To be eligible for SenioRX, you must be at least 60 years old, have no prescription drug coverage, have a chronic medical condition, be a legal resident of Alabama and have an annual household income of less than $18,620 for an individual or $24,980 for two people.
“SenioRX accesses existing programs from drug manufacturers to help our seniors get the medicines they need,” according to Irene Collins, executive director of the Alabama Department of Senior Services.
While Medicare recipients can only have one active Medicare-approved discount card at a time, they can continue to use other savings plans.
Since plans cannot be combined for a single purchase, however, card holders will have to choose which card offers the most savings for the particular medication they need.
The new Medicare provisions also offer subsidies to low-income recipients, so individuals enrolled in programs like SenioRX may have to participate in the discount card program to take advantage of the $600 credit available.
There are several ways to get information about drug discount programs and Medicare regulations. The Medicare Web site at www.medicare.gov lists the various discount cards and drug prices available.
This site will be updated on Monday of each week. People may also call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to obtain pricing information.
The Department of Senior Services and the local Area Agencies on Aging are also holding informational sessions at various locations throughout the state.
To contact a representative or get information on programs in your area, call your local agency or the Department of Senior Services at 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463) or access their Web site at www.AGELINE.net.
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