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Funding Priorities |
PRESCRIPTION DRUG INITIATIVE - Senior Care
Background
Funded at $73 million over three years, the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund contracts with the NC Department of Health and Human Services to administer Senior Care, a statewide prescription drug benefit program for seniors who are below 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and lack any prescription drug coverage. Senior Care was redesigned starting September 1, 2004 to wrap-around the Medicare discount card so that North Carolina seniors could use one card to access both the state and the federal benefit. Senior Care provides a benefit of $1,200 annually and covers all prescription drugs. Seniors below 100% of FPL pay 5% of the cost of drugs while seniors who are above that income level pay 10%.
Detailed program information and an online version of the application form can be found at www.ncseniorcare.com.
The UNC School of Public Health is conducting an outcomes analysis of this program. North Carolina A & T University is performing a concurrent evaluation of the program's impact amongst minority populations.
