Madison –
Senior citizens in Wisconsin breathed a sigh of relief last week, as legislators worked across party lines to guarantee a popular medication program would continue for at least the next decade. SeniorCare, a prescription drug program similar to Medicare Part D, currently has around 93,000 participants state-wide. This state level program is both cheaper to operate and more comprehensive than the federal plan.
“It was a bipartisan solution to a Wisconsin problem,” Evers said Wednesday to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Seniors who take advantage of the program are guaranteed lower cost prescription medication than would otherwise be available to them via the private insurance market or Medicare. The income-based scale caps out of pocket expenditures for medication at $850. For seniors living on a fixed income, having ten years of cost certainty is a relief. The program will continue to operate through December 31, 2028, as a result of the extension.
Prescription medication is the number one out of pocket cost for senior citizens all across the Great Lakes Region. Legislative leaders prioritized this program as a vital service that the state can provide to the elderly. Started in 2002 as a pilot program, the state has renewed the program several times in 3 or 5 year blocks. This ten year extension is something new. “A 10-year approval from the federal government is rare and, I’ll tell you this, I am so thankful, because it speaks highly of the quality work of our staff who are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Wisconsin residents,” Evers said to The Journal Sentinel.
Over the life of the program, the state of Wisconsin has actually saved money over using the more expensive Medicare Part D program allowing the excess funds to be used to improve the quality of healthcare in the state. If you are interested in applying for SeniorCare, please follow the links below:
The Great Lakes Observer 