Scott Powers
Florida’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is seeking to extend Medicare low-income prescription drug subsidies to resident of Puerto Rico, with a bill he filed today.
Nelson’s office estimated that the bill could help an estimated 400,000 low-income seniors in Puerto Rico afford the cost of prescription drugs.
While low-income seniors living in the continental U.S. may be eligible for the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy program, seniors living in a U.S. territory, such as Puerto Rico, are not.
A separate program was established in 2003 to allow for low-income seniors’ subsidies for prescription drugs but the program requires the government of Puerto Rico to match about half the subsidy and the economically-strapped government is unable to anymore, Nelson’s office said in a press release.
“This is inherently unfair,” Nelson said in the release. “This bill will help seniors living in Puerto better afford the cost of their prescription drugs by simply putting them on the same footing as seniors living in the states.”
Last month Puerto Rico warned the U.S. of a looming health care crisis if it is unable to solve its current fiscal crisis.
Nelson’s measure, which has yet to be assigned a bill number, will head to the Senate Finance Committee for consideration.
2 comments
Kathleen Davis
April 4, 2017 at 7:13 pm
Let me commend you for seeking assistance for one of our territories when it comes to the welfare of their Seniors. I know with out my subsidies, I could not afford mine.
Unfortunately, this is really a short quick fix and throwing taxpayers money at it does nothing for us in the long run. It is past time for the government regulate the pharmaceutical industry . People could afford their medications if the markup wasn’t so ridiculous. I understand that a business is there to make money but the amount that is Big Pharma is obscene and all at the cost of peoples lives.
Linz Smith
April 4, 2017 at 11:09 pm
Sorry, they need to make Puerto Rico a STATE. if they are going to receive the same benefits as U.S. citizens. People here can’t afford their medications, either, but are having to choose between food and health care.
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