Virginia Commission Considers Statewide Expansion of Regional Senior Prescription Drug Program, Expansion of Medicaid Eligibility

Following a "budget impasse" during the Virginia Legislature's last session, the Joint Commission on Prescription Drug Assistance is reexamining defeated drug prescription proposals and soon will recommend which plans could best help the state's seniors purchase prescription medications, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. Topping of the list of recommendations is a $4.8 million statewide expansion of Pharmacy Connect, which helps senior citizens apply for prescription drugs that approximately 100 drug companies offer for free "to needy people." Using specialized software, the staff at various sites around the state help seniors complete paperwork for each drug company. The program operates at 18 sites in 8 counties in Southwest Virginia. Judith Castleman, executive director of Virginia Quality Healthcare Network and a "citizen member" of the commission, said, "What we would do is expand that into all 25 area agencies on aging, funding one staff person and the support they need." Marilyn Pace Maxwell, executive director of Mountain Empire Older Citizens Inc., which oversees Pharmacy Connect, added, "Pharmacy Connect is wonderful, but it is not the ultimate answer. It's the front-line defense when it should be for those who fall through the cracks. ... Expanding Medicaid eligibility, that would be a way to go." The commission is considering expanding Medicaid eligibility for low-income seniors and people with disabilities from 80% of the federal poverty level to 100%, a move that would allow to more people to receive prescription drug benefits, State Del. S. Chris Jones (R), commission chair, said. He added, "That's a big-ticket item. I don't know if it will go very far." The proposed eligibility expansion could cost as much as $29.7 million and would be bolstered by $31.6 million in federal matching funds. Recommendations from the commission will come in the form of bills or budget amendments presented to the General Assembly when it reconvenes in January (Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 11/27).