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Drug plan for seniors signed in MB
Low-income residents to benefit
By Zane Wilson
The Sun News
COLUMBIA - A state program to help low-income seniors pay for their drugs is now law. Gov. Mark Sanford traveled to the Grand Strand Senior Center on Thursday for a ceremonial signing of the bill, which was officially signed into law Tuesday.
Called GAPS, for Gap Assistance Program for Seniors, it is aimed at people affected by what some call the "doughnut hole," in which seniors have to pay all their drug costs between $2,250 and $5,100.
The program replaces the SILVERxCARD and is available to people over 65 whose income is less than $19,140 for an individual or $25,660 for a family of two, and who are not enrolled in Medicaid.
GAPS will pay about 95 percent of the drug costs for people in the doughnut hole.
Sanford came to Myrtle Beach because the bill's principal sponsor was Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach.
"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," Sanford said in a news release.
Clemmons said he has been working on the bill for four years, inspired by an aunt who sometimes struggles to pay for her medicine.
For those with lower incomes, "it becomes a question of whether to buy your prescription drugs or put food on the table," Clemmons said.
About 27,000 people in South Carolina are eligible for the program, which is expected to cost about $13 million a year and will be paid from the state general fund.
SILVERxCARD received some federal money, but that was discontinued when Medicare's drug plans went into effect. People who had SILVERxCARD were covered by a special provision in the state budget for this year.
Clemmons said Bill Schmitt and Willard Cahill, both Horry County residents active in senior issues, worked on the issue with him and were staunch allies in making the law a reality.
Helps those in the unpaid gap, or "doughnut hole," with their drug costs
Available for lower-income seniors not on Medicaid
Eligible seniors must be enrolled in a Medicare drug plan that coordinates with the state GAPS program
For assistance, call the state Department of Health and Human Services at (803) 898-2500 or log onto http://www.dhhs.state.sc.us/.
Contact ZANE WILSON at 357-9188 or zwilson@thesunnews.com.
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