Show #395 Airing Sunday, 7/22/07
Prescription drugs are expensive. Very expensive. And lots of people are missing out on a valuable government subsidy. Here to tell us how to get financial aid from Uncle Sam is Mary McNamara, field director for the Greater Cleveland Access to Benefits Coalition, and Jane Fumich, director of the Cleveland Department on Aging.
Question: What's the problem?
Answer: Medication costs are out of sight. You've talked about Medicare Part D on your show. Lots of Ohioans have saved money by joining this plan. But you'll still have to pay some of the costs. And after the first $2,250 of medication costs, you hit the donut hole, where you have to pay your next $3,000 of costs yourself. That's still a real problem for many seniors.
Question: Mary, what's the answer?
Answer: If your income is low, you may qualify for a special subsidy. Your costs for medications will be limited to $1- $3 while you're in the donut hole. That's huge savings, especially if your medications would otherwise run you hundreds of dollars a month.
And you don't have to wait until the next Medicare Part D open enrollment period next November. You can sign up right now!
Question: Who qualifies?
Answer: If you're single, your income has to be less than $1,276/month; for a couple, less than $1,711/month.
Your assets, if you're single, must be below $11,710; below $23,400 for a couple. Your house and car are not counted in your assets, but this number does include your savings.
Question: Jane, how can you apply for the subsidy?
Answer: You can apply online or you can call Social Security to apply as well. However, another option would be to call the Greater Cleveland Access to Benefits Coalition. We are a local agency that works as an intermediary organization for you. We understand how big, overwhelming, and bureaucratic government agencies can seem.
We are a non-profit entity made up of 47 Cleveland area agencies working together to make sure that area seniors are connected to the benefits for which they are eligible.
Right now, we are working with Social Security and Medicare to reach seniors who are eligible for a low-income subsidy through these agencies that can help them pay for prescription drugs. We estimate that approximately 15,000 seniors in the Cleveland area are eligible for this subsidy yet are unaware of it!
You can phone our call center and we'll talk to you over the phone and input the information ourselves. That information gets sent to Social Security and then they determine if you are eligible.
You can also come into the Fairhill Center and we can go over the application with you in person.
Question: Mary, should everyone with low income apply?
Answer: It's important to note that if you apply for Medicare Part D through this subsidy, you will lose whatever other coverage you have. If you already have credible coverage, such as through PERS, you really should look closely at your options before making a decision. Again, this could be a $3,000/year savings for people, if you qualify and it's right for you.
So could you use some help paying for your medications? Call the Greater Cleveland Access to Benefits Coalition. They can direct you to a possible savings of $3,000.
