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A Call for Senior Citizens to Help Other Seniors
Enroll for Drug Discount Cards
We must help our fellow seniors enroll for drug
discount cards - and enroll ourselves, if we have not
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
Dec. 9, 2004 More than five million senior
citizens are on the verge of losing $1,200 in free prescription drugs
and it is time for senior citizens to take action to help our fellow
Medicare beneficiaries. We must contact those we know who are eligible
for this low-income credit and help them sign up before the Dec. 31
deadline. If they are not eligible for the low-income credit, help them
sign up for a regular drug discount card.
Too often we seniors, that are able, sit back and
wait for someone else to take care of us. The lack of older Americans
signing up for the drug discounts is an excellent example. Only about
5.8 million seniors have signed up for the drug discount cards out of
more than 30 million who are eligible. Any senior who has Medicare and
is not enrolled in Medicaid is eligible for a Medicare-approved
prescription drug discount card. That is a shame.
On the other hand, there are millions of senior
citizens that are less able than some to make decisions and take action.
Many are overwhelmed by the fear of making a mistake. Those of us who
are able need to help the others. We can do it.
Medicare says there are about 7.4 million eligible
for the low-income credit and less than two million of these seniors
have signed up. This credit is $600 for this year and another $600 in
2005, if they sign up before the end of the year.
Any unspent portion of the 2004 credit will
be rolled over for use in 2005. Probably many of these seniors are the
ones that need our help.
The most frequently heard excuse is that the
program is too complicated. There are too many cards from which to
choose. Its true, you do have to make a decision, but doing nothing
while trying to make the perfect choice is a waste. You are going to
enjoy substantial savings with any of the cards.
Medicare says current discounts are up to 21 percent
My advice is to contact your local pharmacy and ask
them to recommend a card. Thats what I did and they recommended a card
that is free and has provided good discounts.
Recent surveys show that
seniors who have signed up for the cards generally found the process
straightforward, and those who have used the cards are overwhelmingly
satisfied with the new drug savings they received. So, those of us who
have signed up are happy with the decision.
To be eligible for the low-income credit, seniors
must not be enrolled in Medicaid or have an annual income of more than
$12,569 for a single person, and no more than $16,862 for a married
couple. Those with slightly higher incomes may qualify for other
prescription drug assistance programs.
We need to find these people in the next few days
and help them get enrolled.
There are several options for helping them take
quick action.
1.
Call 1-800 MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) and ask about drug cards.
2.
Contact your State Health Insurance and Assistance Program
(SHIP). A listing of SHIP programs with toll-free numbers is available
Click Here
3.
Contact one of the local organizations helping Medicare. For a
list -
Click Here
4.
Go to the Medicare Website -
Click here to the Medicare information
5.
Contact your local pharmacist.
If you want complete
information about enrollment Click
Here. This is a pdf version of the Medicare brochure (four pages)
telling how to enroll.
The important thing is
we act today to help ourselves and other senior citizens. Get on the
phone, check on people you know, and offer your help in getting them
signed up. And, go to the top of this page and email this story to all
your friends.
Lets show America that seniors can take care of themselves.
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