Florida House Speaker Announces Plan To Help State’s Seniors with Drug Discounts

Florida House Speaker Johnnie Byrd (R) on Dec. 12 proposed a plan designed to make it easier for seniors in the state to access prescription drug discounts from pharmaceutical companies, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports. The proposal, called "Sunshine for Seniors," would create a single application form for seniors who are applying for the various prescription drug discount cards offered by pharmaceutical companies. State health agencies and pharmaceutical companies would run a clearinghouse for the applications. Noting that there are currently more than 130 prescription drug assistance programs that cover more than 800 medications, Byrd said that many seniors "are confused on how to take advantage of them," adding that his program would "take the red tape and uncertainty" out of applying for drug discounts (Hollis, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 12/13). Byrd said he introduced the new program because current finances are "too shaky" to expand the state-run Silver Saver program, which provides free or reduced-cost prescriptions to approximately 42,000 seniors, the Tallahassee Democrat reports. Although Byrd's program would cost "several hundred thousand dollars" to operate, it is a "bargain" compared to the $4.9 million it costs to operate the Silver Saver program, according to the Tallahassee Democrat (Twiddy, Tallahassee Democrat, 12/13). State Democratic lawmakers "abruptly dismissed" Byrd's proposal as "political window dressing" and introduced their own plan for a new $9 million Medicaid prescription drug benefit that would provide assistance to as many as 2 million seniors, the Sun-Sentinel reports. The Democrats' plan would leverage the state's Medicaid budget in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies over prescription drug discounts (Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 12/13). "The Republican proposal cruelly raises our seniors' expectations that they will finally get real prescription drug relief," House Minority Leader Doug Wiles (D) said, adding, "In reality, the GOP proposal guarantees the status quo: Seniors will continue to pay over-inflated prescription drug prices" (Tallahassee Democrat, 12/13). However, Bentley Lipscomb, state director of the Florida AARP, said that while Byrd's proposal "is not a silver bullet," it is a "good beginning" (Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, 12/13).