No Funding Increase for Illinois Seniors

While volunteering at a small church run food pantry in Kane County, I overheard a steaming discussion amongst seniors and disabled. The comparisons of severity of health conditions and comparing the amount that each one had to spend on prescriptions. They were all in a situation where they could not afford to buy groceries and pay for their much needed prescriptions.

Many of them reported food stamp assistance had been cut. In conjunction to food stamp benefits being cut, much needed prescriptions required by doctors were not covered under Medicaid and not under Medicare Part D. These costs had to be paid out of pocket. I leaned over a woman who showed me her diabetic wound and then opened her purse to show me that the wound care ointment prescription had cost her $53.00. This not covered by the state plan or Medicare Part D. She was not going to sit there and let a hole rot into her foot.

The $250.00 in stimulus checks much expected and needed was not approved for 2010. Yet, the cost of Medicare has increased. Medicare Part D coverage has substantially changed to require certain prescriptions to be filled as a generic and no longer will pay for certain brand name drugs. This poses a problem for certain generic drugs that are not manufactured on an equivocal level with different fillers and coatings in which have demonstrated not as equal effectiveness as their brand names. I know this is a challenging statements because most doctors and pharmacists will argue that there is no real difference between brand name and generic. There is a difference to a person who is severely disabled taking multiple medications and may have sensitivities to fillers and generic coatings not presented in the brand name option.

Circuit Breaker is a program that many Illinois Seniors count on to help receive extra help. By completing an application and reporting the amount of money they pay in property taxes and based upon household income, the program offers a small grant. In 2009, seniors were expecting their grant checks to be paid in full and mailed within a reasonable period of time. The checks were greatly delayed and when they did finally receive their checks the amount of the grant was reduced by 50%. A senior expecting an $70.00 grant check received only $35.00.

The Circuit Breaker website reported that the state budget for fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010) did not fund the Circuit Breaker program to the amount levels in which they were anticipating. The Department of Aging made the decision to cut each grant awarded in half in order to be able to afford to pay everyone. They indicated that there is no appeal process to recover the full amount owed.
You can find information of this program at:
http://www.cbrx.il.gov/

In the very same sense if you are a disabled senior paying rent, if you do not earn enough money to pay your rent, you cant tell your land lord, " I have had a budget cut back, you have to accept 50% of my rent and you cannot dispute this."

Seniors have faced a tremendous deal of set backs with cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Prescription Drug Plan Revisions, No Stimulus Checks, and no economical increase to Social Security benefits.

We are trimming in the wrong direction. We are stealing from the poor to give to the government with the potential proposed 33% Illinois Tax increase.

The Department of Aging lists a proposed agenda of goals for implementing more help to seniors this year. However with limited budget and resources coupled with another expected 50% cut in Circuit Breaker funding. Most seniors will not hold their breath.