Some Michigan Seniors Now Eligible for Drug Discounts, Could Soon Get Discounts on Durable Medical Goods

Seniors living in Michigan's Oakland County now can receive discounts of 16%-30% on prescription medicines under a new program that began Oct. 31, the Detroit News reports. Oakland residents ages 60 and older who lack prescription drug insurance are eligible for the program, which is free during its first three years. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners recently approved $240,000 per year to subsidize the program, which will be supervised by the New Jersey-based National Prescription Administrators Inc. During the program's fourth year, the program will be "self-supporting": Drug stores will have to absorb discounts and seniors will pay a $6 annual fee. Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson estimated that about 40,000 Oakland seniors are eligible for the program. Of Oakland's 1.2 million residents, 7% are 60 years or older and about 25% of those lack prescription drug coverage. Brooks added that Oakland seniors "very soon" could become the first seniors in the nation to receive discounts on durable medical equipment under a plan that has yet to be solidified (Martindale, Detroit News, 11/1).