Switch in Rx Benefits for Young Critically Ill
From The South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
Some younger people with critical illnesses (and other groups who get their drugs through various government subsidies) will start getting their prescription drugs through the new Medicare Part D Rx Benefit instead of Medicaid, their current source.
This makes a lot of people uneasy, as they are highly reliant on their current drug subsidies, and there are very few details about what specific drug plan options will be available to them and cover the drugs they need.
“I don’t get scared easily, but I am a little nervous right now,” said Mary Ellen Ross, of Delray Beach, founder of the Florida Transplant Survivors Coalition. “They seem to be making up the rules as they go along.”
Younger beneficiaries also may face more out-of-pocket expenses, as the new Medicare benefit requires all but those at or below poverty level to pay part of their costs. For some, that amounts to co-pays of $1 to $5 for each medication but for Rajner (an HIV patient), it might be as much as $5,430 a year.