A red, white and blue bus offering assistance with Medicare’s new prescription drug program will roll into Snohomish County later this month, with stops in Monroe and south Everett.
The government effort is aimed at reminding people to sign up for the prescription plan and not wait for the May 15 deadline.
The bus, outfitted with high-speed satellite Internet connections, will have at least five people aboard to help seniors sign up, said Michael Marchand, a regional spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Seattle.
| The Medicare bus, which will help seniors sign up for the prescription drug plan that’s best for them, will make two stops in Snohomish County. Call 425-513-1900 for information.
MONROE When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 27 Where: East County Senior Center, 824 Village Way EVERETT When: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 28 Where: McCollum Park, WSU Cooperative Extension office, 600 128th St. SE BEFORE YOU GO: * Make a list of all your medications. * Add up what you’re now paying for medications. * Decide how you want to get your prescriptions, whether at a neighborhood drugstore, discount store or by mail. Source: Senior Services of Snohomish County |
“I’ve run into people who have never had prescription drug insurance before and want to hear more,” he said.
It is one of three such buses touring the country to give people information on the new plan, he said. The local stops will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Feb. 27 at the East County Senior Center in Monroe and Feb. 28 at McCollum Park in south Everett.
“They have to do something to get the people who are waiting,” said Shirley Hauck, a Medicare prescription drug specialist with Senior Services of Snohomish County.
Special effort is being made to let low-income seniors know they may qualify for special discounts in monthly premiums and in the annual deductible.
Individuals can have an annual income of up to $14,700 and couples up to $19,800 and still qualify for discounts, said Paula Jurich, a spokeswoman for the regional Social Security office in Seattle.
Some seniors who meet the financial guidelines haven’t applied for help, Hauck said. Still others have applied for the discount but don’t realize they must still enroll in a prescription insurance plan; that’s a separate step.
There’s a second kind of help for low-income seniors, those who previously received free prescriptions through Medicaid.
When they were switched to the Medicare prescription drug plan, it required them to pay between $1 and $5 for each prescription.
Gov. Chris Gregoire recently announced that the state has received $14 million from the federal government to cover the required co-pays for the first year.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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