News and Press Releases for February 2006

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02/23/2006

Gov. Sanford Signs Prescription Drug Assistance Bill

Law Will Give Assistance to Senior Citizens Formerly Covered by Silvercard Program

Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford today held a bill signing ceremony for H.3221, the South Carolina Gap Assistance Program for Seniors, which would help with the cost of prescription drugs for senior citizens once covered by the state's SilverCard program. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Alan Clemmons, will pick up some prescription drug costs not covered by the Medicare D program for people 65 and older who earn less than 200 percent the federal poverty level -- less than roughly $19,140 for an individual or $25,660 for a family of two -- but aren't eligible for Medicaid.

"The high cost of prescription drugs puts a heavy burden on senior citizens across South Carolina, and this is about doing what we can as a state to keep our seniors healthy," Gov. Sanford said. "Forgoing prescription drugs can lead to a host of other health problems that not only hurt senior citizens' quality of life, but can have an enormous impact on our healthcare costs as a state. This is all about doing what we can on a preventative basis to keep that from happening."

Most individuals who join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan would be responsible for 100 percent of their drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100 - what is commonly referred to as the "donut hole" in Medicare drug coverage. The GAPS program would pick up 95 percent of those prescription costs for qualifying seniors, potentially saving them up to about $2,700 per year. People eligible for the GAPS program will become enrolled when they enroll in a prescription drug plan (PDP) that is coordinating the GAPS benefit with Medicare Part D.

For more information on GAPS coverage, citizens can call the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services at 800-834-2680 or log onto http://www.dhhs.state.sc.us.