Missouri to Revamp Promotional Efforts for SenioRx Prescription Drug Program

Officials overseeing Missouri's prescription drug assistance program, called SenioRx, are overhauling their promotional efforts after two years of "lower-than-expected" participation rates, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (Lieb, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/5). SenioRx covers 60% of medication costs for people ages 65 and older who are not eligible for Medicaid and have annual incomes lower than $17,000. Participants pay a $25 to $35 enrollment fee and a $250 to $500 annual deductible based on income (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 1/6). Originally, SeniorRx officials had expected to enroll as many as 55,000 people for the program's debut in July 2002. However, the program had only 21,900 participants in its first year, and 19,021 people are currently enrolled, according to Laurie Hines, executive director. She said that the program also is spending only a fraction of its more than $200,000 outreach budget on television, print and radio advertisements. To increase enrollment, the program now plans to take a "different approach" to promotions, Hines said. For example, government employees and volunteers will hand out information to people receiving flu shots at health clinics this fall and winter, and SenioRx hopes to work more with neighborhood groups and health care centers that treat low-income patients (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 10/5).