Maryland Senior Prescription Discount Program Begins Enrollment

Maryland and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield on June 19 launched a $22 million prescription drug program for state seniors, the Baltimore Sun reports. Financed by CareFirst and other insurers in the state from the $40 million in "discounts" they receive annually on hospital charges in Maryland, the program will provide participating seniors with up to $1,000 in drug coverage per year. To enroll, participants must be eligible for Medicare and earn no more than 300% of the federal poverty level, or $25,770 for a single senior. Seniors will pay a $10 monthly premium and a copay for each prescription -- $10 per prescription for generic drugs, $20 for brand-name drugs included in the program's formulary and $35 for all other drugs. Eligibility, however, is limited to the first 30,000 seniors who enroll. The program replaces another state senior drug plan, launched last year, that was eliminated because of poor participation rates linked to its $40 monthly premiums (Salganik, Baltimore Sun, 6/20).