Time is running out for low income seniors in New Hampshire to get hundreds of dollars of federal money to help pay for prescription drugs. The federal government estimates nearly 30,000 seniors in the state may be eligible for the money, but few have signed up. Federal and state officials are pushing hard to get seniors enrolled before the end of the year.
New Hampshire Public Radio's David Darman has more.
For information on how to enroll, call 1-800-852-3388. Or you can try ServiceLink at 866-634-9412.
Several senior citizens walked into the community meeting room at North Ridge Senior Housing complex in Warner last week.
They were there to pick up food through a government program for the poor.
These were exactly the sort of people Karol Dermon was seeking.
Dermon is with the state's Bureau of Adult and Elderly Services and was there to tell seniors about free Medicare Drug Discount Cards.
One of the seniors she chatted with was Olive Olmstead, a 73 year old resident.
"along with the discount card you get 1200 dollars for the whole year, right? actually its for this year, what's left of this year and next year. oh, next year, too? yep. yep."
Olmstead said she probably could use one of the cards.
But she hesitated when asked if she had made up her mind to sign up for the program.
not really, i'd have to check things out to be real sure so, i'm not sure yet.
Seniors with monthly incomes below 1600 dollars per couple can qualify for the cards.
If they sign up before December 31st, they will get 600 dollars just for being enrolled, plus 600 dollars more starting in January.
With these terms, federal officials can't understand why only 7 percent of eligible seniors across the nation have taken advantage of the program.
Roseanne Pawelec of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Boston says there's no reason someone who's eligible for the money should pass it up.
if you fit these income guidelines and you fail to apply for the 600 dollar credit that's available by december 31st, you literally are leaving, you're walking away from 600 dollars on the table, offered by the federal government to help you pay for your prescription drugs.
One reason some seniors might hesitate is if they rely on federal or state aid for other expenses beside prescriptions.
Cheryl Driscoll is an attorney with New Hampshire Legal Assistance who counsels senior citizens.
She says many seniors she's talked to worry signing up for a card could jeopardize their other benefits.
there's a concern that somehow people with subsidized housing their rents would be affected or they would lose some of their food stamp allotment or whatever other benefits they might have, but the federal government and all the related agencies have made it clear that this benefit will not affect ....any other benefits that people are getting.
Some seniors are also reluctant to sign up for the cards because they already get prescriptions from other free or discount drug programs.
But the federal government urges seniors to sign up for the cards anyway, since it could give them money for medicine they can't get for free.
Federal officials have also tried to jumpstart the low participation rate for drug cards by mailing them to eligible seniors.
In other states, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent the cards to people who were in statewide drug assistance programs.
But in New Hampshire, there is no state run program and the best mailing list could find reached only about 10 percent of eligible seniors.
Roseanne Pawelec of CMS says the lack of a good contact list underscores the need for this new Medicare benefit.
new hampshire is somewhat unique within the new england states where you don't have that kind of equivalent program, a state prescription assistance program that makes it even more urgent in new hampshire for people to take advantage of this 1200 dollars in credit....
Seniors have until the end of December to sign up for the cards, for the full prescription benefit.
