Advocates Call on Legislature to Stop Proposed Rx Cuts to the Elderl...(al with the Empire Justice Center. ...),Health

"Right now CMS' hotline is overwhelmed with Part D complaints, even when EPIC continues to provide a safety net for New York's seniors. We shudder to think of what will happen if EPIC slams its doors shut," said David Silva, Assistant Director of the Evelyn Frank Legal Resources Program at Selfhelp Community Services.

"Every year, the Medicare Rights Center receives calls from thousands of people with Medicare who have tried to appeal for Medicare Part D coverage on their own, but find that the process can be challenging, even impossible, to navigate. New York should protect EPIC enrollees by ensuring access to medically necessary prescriptions when they are not available under Part D and by helping enrollees through the Medicare appeals process," stated Dina Wizmur, Deputy General Counsel for the Medicare Rights Center.

"In less than three months, New York already saved $500,000 to the EPIC program by winning appeals against Part D plans and forcing the plans to pay for drugs. This system, negotiated in last year's budget, should be given a chance to work for the State and vulnerable seniors," said Lisa Sbrana, Supervising Attorney of The Legal Aid Society's Health Law Unit.

"Many of New York's most vulnerable seniors will be very surprised and angry to find out that their drugs are no longer covered by EPIC. Rather than seeking alternatives, many will try to pay out of pocket; others will stop taking their scripts. Neither of these options is acceptable," stated Justin Cunningham, Executive Director of Statewide Senior Action.

According to the Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington, D.C, one in seven Americans under age 65 went without prescribed medicines in 2007. In addition, three in 10 low-income Americans said they had been unable to fill a prescription because of cost, and nearly one in four adults on Medicaid or in
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