Maine eases the pain of Medicare Part D

Maine's response shows the "doughnut holes" in Medicare's Part D drug plan.

Part D safety net helps Maine seniors Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - Bangor Daily News

By Jude Walsh

"Maine has a long tradition of being responsive to the prescription drug needs of its citizens. The Medicaid program in Maine, known as MaineCare, serves more than 270,000 low-income Maine people. The Drugs for the Elderly Program was created in 1978 to serve low-income elderly and disabled people that are not eligible for MaineCare.When Congress passed the federal Medicare Modernization Act, which created the federal Medicare Part D program, I was encouraged that Medicare recipients would finally get a prescription drug benefit under the program. However, I was concerned with Part D's complexity and how it would impact Maine seniors on our state programs, which had been working well for a generation.With Medicare Part D, Maine is outlawed from continuing Medicaid coverage for people that are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Now seniors would need to choose from one of 16 drug plans, each with different drugs covered and costs. There was potential for significant confusion. In response, the state took several precautions to ensure no senior would go without their prescriptions. Click here for the full article.

For more information on which states are providing a safety net for patient falling through the Part D cracks see my earlier post.