Many Maryland Seniors Enrolling in New State Prescription Plan

Seniors are "flocking" to Maryland's new prescription coverage program, with nearly 20,000 signed up in the first two months of enrollment and the participant cap of 30,000 expected to be "soon hit," according to program administrator CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the Baltimore Sun reports. The prescription plan, which is open to single seniors with incomes less than $25,770 or couples with incomes less than $34,830, provides up to $1,000 in benefits per year, after which participants may get discounts of about 15% below retail drug cost. Qualifying seniors pay a $10 monthly premium and a co-payment of $10 for generic drugs, $20 for some brand-name drugs and $35 for others. The program replaced a plan that carried a $40-per-month premium that only attracted 1,600 seniors. CareFirst and state and local health officials "stimulated" the enrollment "surge" by promoting the plan at senior centers and libraries, the Sun reports. The positive response to the plan may encourage the General Assembly to extend the program, which now has a two-year lifespan. Del. Michael Busch (D), chair of the House Economic Matters Committee and key sponsor of the plan, said state lawmakers had included the time limit hoping that the federal government would create a Medicare prescription drug benefit, but with a federal program unlikely in the near future, "I would absolutely push for [the state program] to go beyond the two years," Busch said (Salganik, Baltimore Sun, 8/30). On Aug. 30, Maryland officials are expected to announce a more than $100 million surplus as they "clos[e] the books" on last year's state spending, and Gov. Parris Glendening (D) has called for using the reserve money in part for health care (LeDuc, Washington Post, 8/30). For further information on state health policy in Maryland, visit State Health Facts Online.