Seniors worry about prices

Bob Repko had a quadruple heart bypass in October, but that's not what worries him. He's afraid he'll fall into the gap.

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With a modest income and $4,000 to $5,000 in prescription costs each year, Mr. Repko, 66, might be one of those Medicare recipients who fall into a large gap in coverage in the program's recently passed prescription drug plan.

"A lot of people will fall into that," said his stepdaughter, Bobbie Osorio.

Mr. Repko and his stepdaughter were among about 130 people at St. John Towers on Wednesday to hear the complicated program explained by U.S. Rep. Max Burns, R-Ga., who is a strong proponent of the bill.

The drug benefit will not kick in until 2006, but there will be a discount drug program in the meantime, with those at the poverty level getting $600 a year to help buy their drugs, Mr. Burns said. The various drug plans should be able to negotiate savings of 15 to 25 percent the first year, he said.

With seniors paying an average of $1,285 a year for drugs, and taking into account premiums and deductibles, the cost would be reduced to $848 a year, he said.

"Not only can you be more healthy, but it will save everybody money," Mr. Burns said.

He also hopes Congress can begin reducing drug prices with legislation that would allow limited importation of lower-priced drugs from Canadian pharmacies and would curtail the practice of making slight changes to extend a drug patent and keep it from being made generically.

But even when the drug benefit starts, there will be a curious gap where coverage stops after $2,250 and picks up only at a catastrophic level above $5,100.

"It was one of those unfortunate situations there," Mr. Burns said. "We could not close the gap given the (budget) constraints at this time. If we can get control - and I believe we can - of the health care costs, then I think we're going to be able to fill that gap."

For someone facing spending at least 10 percent of his income just on his prescriptions, such as Mr. Repko, it is more than unfortunate.

"That's a huge thing," he said. But Mr. Repko understands the compromise.

"They have to start somewhere," he said.

Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com.

--From the Thursday, January 8, 2004 printed edition of the Augusta Chronicle