Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2004)

If you’re a Medicare beneficiary with a very low income, consider enrolling now for the new Medicare-approved drug discount card. You may qualify for up to $600 in government aid to buy prescription drugs.

Other Medicare beneficiaries, however, should study their options carefully to determine whether the card will save them money.

“For those who qualify for the drug credit, it’s an easy decision,” says Eileen Hendee, Aspen Club coordinator at Poudre Valley Hospital. “For others, it takes a lot of time, patience, and research to make an informed decision.”

People don’t have to buy a card if they don’t want one. Hendee advises those on Medicare not to drop prescription insurance or discount cards they presently have and to carefully study the 40 Medicare-approved drug cards available to Coloradans.

The first step to finding individualized information is to make a list of the name, strength and dose of the prescription drugs you take regularly. Then visit the Medicare web site, or call a Colorado or national assistance line to get price and drug card comparisons.

Price comparisons are still fluctuating, says Bob Pierce, program administrator with the Colorado Division of Insurance, but, eventually, as discount card providers negotiate prices with drug companies, cardholders may save 10 percent to 25 percent on their medications.

“Which card you choose does matter,” Pierce emphasizes. Once you choose a card, you’re locked into that card until 2005.