April’s Good News

April’s Good News!

By Deborah Hollingworth

The good news this month is about Prescription Advantage, which is a program for Massachusetts residents designed to help with the cost of their Rx. Sometimes I think this benefit is one of the best kept secrets. It doesn’t cost anything, and the application is not too complicated. You can apply online (prescriptionadvantagema.org) or call them and they will help you complete the application by phone: 1-800-243-4636. Your SHINE counselor can help too. Ask at your senior center. Even if you have Rx coverage through your health insurance, like a Medicare Advantage plan, or a stand alone Medicare D plan, Prescription Advantage still can help, especially if you have to take expensive brand name Rx and find yourself in the “donut hole” every year.

If your income is less than $3,122 if single, or $4,227 if married, you are eligible.

NOTE: if you already have Extra-Help, which is a benefit administered by Social Security, or you have MassHealth, you do not need Prescription Advantage.

But unlike Extra-Help and MassHealth…and this is important— Prescription Advantage does not count assets. Only your income.

Prescription Advantage is a subsidy for lower income Massachusetts residents. The less income you have, the more Prescription Advantage helps.

In the 1990s, Massachusetts was one of the first states to offer Rx subsidy to support its residents. In 2006, when the federal government launched Medicare D, it was modeled on Massachusetts’ Prescription Advantage.

For more information, you can visit

prescriptionadvantagema.org

or contact your SHINE counselor to see

if you qualify.