Director's Message

Directors Message

January 2004

 

One of the biggest things that occurred last month was the passing of the Medicare Prescription coverage bill. There was passionate debate from both sides of the issue, with AARP in the vortex of the storm. In the end, the bill passed, but will not provide coverage for prescriptions until 2006.

 

So what do you do in the meantime? The government isn’t sure yet what will be offered in the interim. The first answer is to try to stay healthy with exercise and good nutrition. After that, you can compare prices between local pharmacies for the best price. And then there are two options that are getting a lot of attention in the press. 

 

One option is a prescription drug card. The State of New Jersey offers a Pharmaceutical Assistance program for people over age 65 with incomes under $20,016 (couples $24,542). In the coming months, the National Council on the Aging, through its BenefitsCheckUp program, will team up with the Together Rx Card, which represents several pharmaceutical companies, to offer a discount prescription program. If you want more information about one of these programs, call the PSRC social service staff at 252-2362.

 

The other option receiving much attention is filling prescriptions in Canada. Since the Canadian government controls pricing, many drugs are significantly cheaper there. The cautions to be aware of are that it is technically illegal to get medications from Canada, and the reliability of the pharmacy and delivery agent are unknown. All one needs to do is to type “medications” and “Canada” into your web browser to get dozens of operations who want to provide this service. I recently received promotional materials from one such “service” in Lawrenceville called SaverService. PSRC does not know any of these providers and can not endorse them. We recommend discussing this decision with your medical care provider and seeking recommendations from people you know.

 

Returning to the subject of good nutrition, PSRC is planning a program that we will offer this winter called Healthy Aging Through Healthy Eating. Many of us have been told that there are things we should or should not eat because of chronic health problems such as diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension or obesity. Yet it is hard to let go of old patterns of cooking and eating. This program will offer nutritional recommendations and recipes to help you gain some new ideas. Participants will have time to prepare and enjoy these foods together. Join us!

 

Susan W. Hoskins LCSW