The nearly 400 counselors in Kansas who field questions about Medicare are asked about one topic more than any other. The callers want advice on how to obtain prescription drugs at prices they can afford, said Cynthia Bailey of the Kansas Insurance Department.

Bailey is a recruiter of volunteer Medicare counselors for SHICK, which stands for Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas. It’s part of a national program financed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help seniors find their way through the maze of choices in the federal health insurance program.

Contact SHICK at its statewide, toll-free hot line at 800-860-5260 or on the Internet at www.ksinsurance.org/shick.

The reason for the calls is that Medicare’s prescription drug benefit is very limited and does not cover the majority of outpatient prescription drugs. It leaves seniors with a few basic options:

• Buy supplemental health insurance with a prescription drug benefit.
• Apply for a prescription drug assistance program offered by pharmaceutical companies.
• Military veterans can apply for health care benefits through the Veterans Administration, which include prescription drugs.
• Order prescriptions from foreign pharmacies.

When considering the insurance route, ask the SHICK volunteer to send you a copy of the Shopper’s Guide for Supplemental Health Insurance published by the Kansas Insurance Department. It explains the Medicare plans and lists the companies writing business in the state. It lists comparative prices and each company’s financial rating.

Most pharmaceutical companies have drug assistance programs for seniors who cannot afford their medications, Bailey said. Each company has its own set of guidelines, so there is no uniform economic standard for qualifying. SHICK counselors will help sort out what assistance programs meet individual needs and how to apply for them.

Other excellent sources of information about these programs are the Web sites, www.needymeds.com. and www.rxassist.org. In addition, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America publishes a directory of 48 company-sponsored programs covering hundreds of medicines. Copies are available at 800-762-4636 or at www.phrma.org.

Last year several large pharmaceutical companies launched programs in which qualified seniors may buy their drugs at reduced prices. SHICK counselors are familiar with them.

Three of the programs offer cards that holders take to participating pharmacies to receive discounts ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent off retail prices.

Seniors are cautioned to make sure local pharmacies will honor a discount card before obtaining one. It takes a careful analysis to determine whether some of the cards would save enough money to be worth the trouble.