Medicare Drug Discount Sign-Up Starts in May

April 22, 2004
Seniors eligible for Medicare can begin signing up for prescription drug "discount cards" in a couple of weeks. But beware -- the cards may not help everyone save money and must be selected carefully.

The cards provide an average of 10% to 25% savings on selected drugs for an enrollment fee of $30 a year, Cortez said. They will become effective in June. Signing up for the cards is voluntary, beginning in May.

Almost anyone enrolled in Medicare, the nationwide health insurance program for the aged, blind and disabled, can request a card, but the assistance program is targeted at those without any prescription drug coverage.

Just how many people will opt for a discount card is anyone's guess. The cards are a stopgap until Medicare prescription drug coverage begins in 2006.

Not everyone will be eligible for the discount cards.

For example, seniors and disabled people who already receive prescription coverage through Medicaid cannot sign up for the discount cards.

Others may find them unnecessary. The cards are not intended for seniors who are retired and get prescriptions through employer-sponsored plans or are part of health maintenance organizations or a membership plan, such as Kaiser, which provides prescription drugs for small co-payments.

For those seniors and disabled people whose incomes are low enough, a $600 credit toward purchasing medications will be available with their Medicare-approved discount card.

Single people with incomes of no more than $12,569 and married couples with incomes of no more than $16,862 are eligible for the $600 prescription credit and a waiver of the enrollment fee.

Private companies will sell discount prescription cards in California and across the nation. It's essential that seniors choose the card that's right for them, since the discounts offered by the different cards vary widely.

Someone who needs multiple drugs should check both total savings and savings by the drug, because sometimes the card won't discount every drug the person needs.

Pharmacists say patients should check to make sure their pharmacies will accept Medicare discount cards. Most pharmacies will but it's better to be sure.

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