I received a letter today from the JASA organization. This is a fantastic organization. As a matter of fact I just recently, Fall 2010, graduated from their IFSA, Institute For Senior Action, training class. The great part about that is it puts me on a list of people who are notified when good and bad things are coming down the pike for seniors. Lately I feel like I’m bring you a lot of info that seems discouraging. What’s important here is these cuts have not taken place yet. So here is a copy of that letter with some links to the various organizations involved. We must contact our elected officials in writing and let them know we strongly disagree with these cuts to senior services.  These cuts will only have a very negative affect on seniors.  You should also call AARP and find out just what this all means to you.

O.K. here is the letter I received.

AARP’s EPIC toll-free number is now operational and anyone concerned about the future of EPIC is encouraged to use it. It will connect people to their state legislators.

The number is 1-800-700-6469.
SAVE EPIC!!
200,000 Older New Yorkers will Lose EPIC Coverage Under Cuomo Budget

New York StateWide Senior Action Council urges seniors, their families and caregivers and the 300,000 older New Yorkers who are enrollees in the EPIC program (Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage) to call their state legislators in their district offices this week while they are not in session in Albany to protest Governor Cuomo’s phasing out of the program. The EPIC program started in 1987 but for lower income seniors has served as a supplement to the Medicare Part D program since that program began in 2006. Governor Cuomo’s budget eliminates EPIC coverage except for drugs not paid in the Medicare donut hole. An estimated 200,000 of the 300,000 EPIC enrollees do not reach the Medicare donut hole or coverage gap which begins when a senior has spent $2840 in annual drug costs. Under Cuomo’s plan, they would not longer receive any support from EPIC.

EPIC has been paying the Medicare deductible and premium costs for lower income New Yorkers as well as subsidizing the co-payments. The elimination of that support will cost enrollees as much as $1000 per year or more, despite the Governor’s pledge to not support new taxes or fees.

EPIC was passed in December 1986 and signed into law by Governor Mario M. Cuomo.

We should be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the passage of EPIC this year, not joining the Governor Andrew Cuomo in preparing for its demise.

If you need phone numbers for your legislators’ district office or for more information contact Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, at maconsult@aol.com or respond to this StateWide e-news email address.

Mary Clark

Citizen Action of NY

HCAN/SSS NYS Coordinator

cabing@citizenactionny.org

607-723-0110

607-232-2084 (cell)

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