North Carolina Commission To Give State $105M for Senior Prescription Drug Assistance Program

The North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission on Dec. 13 voted 14-1 to approve a program that will help cover the cost of prescription drugs for uninsured, low-income seniors, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The commission, led by North Carolina Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue (D), awarded $105 million over three years to the state Department of Health and Human Services to administer the program, called "Carolina Cares," for about 100,000 uninsured state residents ages 65 and older. The commission, which oversees 25% of the state's share of the 1998 national tobacco settlement, or about $1.1 billion over 25 years, will tap those funds for the program. Under Carolina Cares, the state will cover 60% of the cost of prescription drugs for uninsured seniors who earn between $11,596 and $17,180, or between $15,673 and $23,220 for couples. Uninsured seniors who earn less than $11,596 -- or $15,673 for couples -- also may qualify for free prescription drugs donated by pharmaceutical companies. Six pharmaceutical companies have agreed to provide about $10 million in free prescription drugs for the program, Perdue said (Damico, Winston-Salem Journal, 12/14). The program also will provide counseling services to help seniors manage their prescription drugs (Bonner, Raleigh News & Observer, 12/13).

Model Program
State officials said that the program, which could take effect by spring, will serve as a "model for other states" and help "fill the void" in the Medicare program, which does not cover the cost of prescription drugs. However, some state health officials questioned whether the program covers enough people and "what would happen when the program ends after seniors have come to rely on it." Robert Parker, a vice president at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and the only commission member to oppose the program, also raised concerns about using tobacco settlement funds for general disease treatment, rather than smoking prevention or anti-tobacco campaigns. In addition, Adam Searing of the North Carolina Health Access Commission said that the program will exclude individuals with disabilities younger than age 65 who "may be in worse financial shape" than seniors (Winston-Salem Journal, 12/14). For data and other information on health in the states mentioned in today's Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, visit State Health Facts Online.