Medicare Officials Push Prescription Drug Subsidy

Medicare officials are pushing seniors in Tennessee to apply for extra money to help cover prescription drug costs.

There are 847,000 state residents who are enrolled in Medicare’s prescription drug program that began four years ago. It helps seniors keep their drug costs down. An extra $3,600 dollars is also available for those who need even more help. That could come in handy in light of a slowing economy.

Medicare’s Regional Director, Paul Barnes, says a lot of seniors don’t apply for the extra money because they’ve been turned down for Medicaid – the program that assists the poor. But, Barnes says, even if seniors don’t qualify for Medicaid, they could still be eligible for the extra help.

“An individual can have income of $15,600 a year; a couple can have income of up to

$21,000 a year and still qualify for the extra help. We’ve actually processed about 1.9 million applications, but we have people who become eligible every month because they’re just now turning 65, so we want to continually reach out to people.”

The $3,600 subsidy pays for the cost of the premium and some of the co-pays of seniors’ drug plan. There are no estimates for how many in Tennessee are eligible for the extra help. Only 13% of seniors enrolled in a Medicare drug plan currently receive it. For more information on receiving the extra help, go to www.medicare.gov.