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Gov. Jeb Bush's plan addresses costs for some low-income seniors, but Democrats call it too little help for too few.
By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 1, 2002
TARPON SPRINGS -- With Congress unable to compromise on prescription drug coverage for the elderly, Gov. Jeb Bush on Wednesday unveiled details of a new state program to give some relief to low-income seniors.
But Democrats were quick to point out that the so-called Silver Saver program amounts to a drop in the bucket: Just 58,000 of Florida's 2.8-million senior citizens will qualify, and it will pay up to $160 a month, a fraction of what many pay for medication.
But as Bush explained to a thankful crowd at a community center, it is an important stop-gap measure that doubles benefits under a previous program.
"This will help a whole lot of people who might be making those extraordinary choices" between medicine and rent, Bush said.
Bush has been touting Silver Saver since he signed the state budget in June, but on Wednesday the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officially approved it.
The federal government has granted Florida and two other states, South Carolina and Maryland, waivers to provide drug coverage to seniors who are poor but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor.
Medicaid covers another 236,000 Florida seniors, the state says.
Bush made the announcement at Union Academy Cultural Center in Tarpon Springs. Eight elderly men and women sat on the small stage behind him, and several dozen packed the small auditorium.
Although some were unsure whether they qualified, they applauded the governor's efforts.
"I'm out of medicine now. One medication cost me 100 and some dollars," said Lena Ford, 73. "I have about five different kinds of medications."
Silver Saver, named for retiring state Sen. Ron Silver, a North Miami Beach Democrat who joined the Republican governor on Wednesday, will cost the state $29.5-million.
"This is definitely a first step," said state Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, who also accompanied Bush on Wednesday. "We have to wait for Congress to act before we get something to fill in the gap at this point."
But if Congress fails, the Legislature "will have to look at expanding it," she said.
Medicare, the government insurance program for people 65 and over, covers doctor's visits and hospital stays but does not cover prescription drugs. Many people get drug coverage by buying supplemental insurance, or through retirement programs, but seniors without those benefits pay full price.
The resulting bills are expensive. Beatrice McLeod, 73, belongs to an HMO, but it won't cover drugs. She said the Zocor she takes to manage high cholesterol costs nearly $200 a month.
"It works great, but I can't afford it," she said. "Plenty of times I don't even buy my pills because I can't afford them. So I don't take them."
President Bush has asked Congress to add prescription coverage to Medicare, but Democrats and Republicans are locked in a battle over who should pay for it, and how much. The House has passed a version; the Senate has not.
Polls show the price of prescription drugs is the leading concern among elderly voters.
Democrats hoped to make prescription drug coverage an issue during November's midterm elections, but in Florida the party has had trouble finding a coherent alternative.
On Wednesday, Democratic leaders and the party's two top candidates for governor, Janet Reno and Bill McBride, said Bush's program is too puny.
McBride says he's still crafting his plan. Reno's version, announced two weeks ago, relies on putting senior citizens, state employees and Medicaid participants into one large buying cooperative to force drug companies to offer discounts of up to 65 percent.
But her plan is short on details. Other states have buying cooperatives, but none has tried to merge so many disparate interests. State employees, for instance, have much more generous benefits than Medicaid participants, and joining them could be a problem.
The pharmaceutical industry also has resisted such arm-twisting. On Wednesday, Bush criticized Reno's plan. "She expects a 65 percent discount?" Bush asked. "That's fantasy."