Gov. Easley Announces Prescription Drug Care Plan for Seniors

When Mike Easley was campaigning for governor last year, one of his key proposals was a program that would help senior citizens avoid having to choose between antibiotics and pain relievers because they couldn’t afford both. He proposed paying for it with part of this state’s share of a national tobacco settlement.

Now Gov. Easley and Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, who also supported the idea, have come through. They have persuaded the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission, which Lt. Gov. Perdue chairs, to provide funding for a modest, three-year program. It will pay up to $600 a year to help eligible senior citizens defray costs of prescription drugs to treat the three most common diseases seniors face - cardiovascular disease, lung disease and diabetes.

State officials say the program is the first in the country to provide money “for disease management to help seniors cope with chronic diseases conditions” and for medication counseling for seniors who may be taking too many or the wrong kinds of drugs. They estimate that by March the program could enroll 100,000 participants - citizens over 65 who don’t have other drug coverage and whose income is less than twice the federal poverty level. That means seniors with incomes below $17,180 for a single person and $23,220 for couples will be eligible.

“Too many of our seniors are still being forced to choose between prescriptions and other basic necessities,” Gov. Easley said last week after the Health and Wellness Trust Fund approved the plan. The state estimates that about 50 percent of senior citizens in the state lack prescription drug coverage.

It’s remarkable that North Carolina can embark on a prescription drug plan for senior citizens, given the economic downturn and tight budget strictures. The money to pay for the plan will come from the state’s share of a national tobacco settlement that Gov. Easley pursued while he was attorney general.

The state will receive $4.6 billion over 25 years, and the Health and Wellness Trust Fund is to get one-fourth of that amount - or about $1.15 billion over the period. The fund began with an $88 million balance, but by law can spend only half the money it receives. That determined the $35 million per year allocation for the prescription drug plan - and also was a controlling factor in the size of the benefit and the diseases to be covered.

In future years, when more money may become available, policymakers will have many opportunities to expand the list of diseases covered, to increase the benefits level or to expand the coverage to others - such as those on Medicare disability who are less than 65 years old and who otherwise are just as needy.

This program, however, is an excellent start on getting the money where it needs to be. Statistics show that 71 percent of senior citizens suffer from one or more of the three diseases covered. Records also indicate that senior citizens without drug plan coverage spend more than $700 a year on prescription drugs, so the state assistance of up to $600 is well focused.

If the state can build on this encouraging first step and expand the program’s scope and coverage, it will turn out to be just the sort of widespread benefit envisioned when the tobacco settlement was announced.