Lourene Mack, 76, a Hurricane Wilma survivor, relaxes in the sitting room of her senior citizen complex in Miami, Fla. Senior citizens like Mack rely on Medicare to help pay for their health care. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Older Adults Can Get New Medicare Drug Program

But is it worth it? 

Adults over the age of 65 can apply for a Medicare drug benefit called, Medicare Part D.  Older adults started applying for the plan on November 1.  

However, many people in Wisconsin are asking whether the new federal program is worth the cost and confusion.  Older adults are passing up the federal plan to sign up with the Wisconsin drug plan called, “SeniorCare,” instead.

SeniorCare is easier to understand than Medicare Part D.  There is only a small annual fee for the plan. Prescription drugs may cost $15 for brand name drugs and only $5 for non-brand name drugs.

A $30 annual fee

SeniorCare helps people over 65 years of age pay for drugs that their doctors say they need to take. People must pay $30 per person each year for SeniorCare. 

The program is based on a person’s annual income. The lower a person’s income, the more SeniorCare can help.

Tom Frazier tells older people to join SeniorCare. He says it is a good program if you don’t need or want Medicare Part D.  Frazier heads the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups in Madison.

Frazier says Medicare Part D offers too many choices. He says those choices scare some people.

Medicare Part D costs about $37 per month for the insurance.  In addition, some people have to spend hundreds of dollars for drugs per year before they receive some benefits

“I compared the cost of Medicare Part D to Wisconsin’s SeniorCare program for my mother,” said Larry Balistreri of Milwaukee. “SeniorCare was the better plan for our needs. My mother’s monthly and annual prescription drugs cost a lot less than the annual cost of a Medicare Part D plan and the out-of-pocket costs,” he said. “It was cheaper for my mother to stay in SeniorCare.”

One person who thinks SeniorCare is a wonderful program is Stephanie Sue Stein. She is director of the Milwaukee County Department on Aging. 

Stein says more people have been applying for SeniorCare in recent months. She said she thinks people are talking to each other about SeniorCare and letting each other know that it is a good program.

90,000 Wisconsin adults have SeniorCare

About 90,000 older adults in Wisconsin have SeniorCare. Applications more than doubled in November over the same month in 2004, according to the state Department of Health and Family Services. The agency runs SeniorCare in Wisconsin.

Jason Helgerson is a spokesman for the agency. Helgerson says SeniorCare and the Medicare drug programs can both operate in Wisconsin.  He says workers in his department think they have a chance now to show that both programs can co-exist. 

Ask your local drug store for information on SeniorCare and Medicare Part D.  You can also get information from the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Website at: http://www.dhfs.wisconsin.gov/seniorcare/   or, call the SeniorCare Customer Service Hotline toll free at 1-800-657-2038.

Sources:  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article by Guy Boulton; article by Tom Frazier, Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups; www.dhfs.wisconsin.gov/seniorcare

Many Wisconsin Senior Citizens May Qualify for SeniorCare 

Wisconsin’s SeniorCare program helps pay for prescription drugs. This makes it easier for seniors to obtain the medicine they need for a healthier life. 

Eligibility Requirements Include:

1.         Must legally live in Wisconsin.

2.         Must be 65 years of age or older.

3.         Must pay $30 every year.  

If you think you or someone you know might be eligible, contact your local aging agency for more information. Or call the SeniorCare Customer Service Hotline at 1-800-657-2038 (TTY and translations services are available) or visit www.dhfs.state.wi.us/seniorcare.