State Senators representing Nassau County announced earlier this week that the Senate's Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program (EPIC Plus) passed the Senate. Deputy Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-C, Rockville Centre), Senator Kemp Hannon (R-C, Westbury), Senator Carl Marcellino (R-C, Oyster Bay), Senator Michael Balboni (R-C, Mineola) and Senator Charles Fuschillo, Jr. (R-C, Freeport) held a press conference at the Sandel Senior Center in Rockville Centre to announce the passage of the legislation.

The EPIC Plus program builds upon the current EPIC program by further extending coverage to middle-income seniors and reducing the annual fees and co-payments established through the original and existing system.

"We needed to take the good program that New York has had, one of the first and leading ones in the nation, and add to it," said Hannon.

EPIC Plus increases the current EPIC income eligibility standards to include individual seniors with annual incomes less than $35,000 and couples with annual incomes under $50,000. This provides a substantial increase over the current income requirements - $18,500 for individuals and $24,000 for senior couples - thus allowing middle-income seniors to participate in the EPIC program. These increased income levels will more than double the number of seniors eligible to enroll in the program to approximately 230,000.

"So many of our seniors, even though they may be above what the government says or above poverty level, are on a fixed income," said Senator Skelos. "They have heating costs, rental costs, mortgage payments and food costs and their drug prescription costs are very high. Throughout the years, it has been improved upon, but not as significantly as EPIC Plus."

Another key component of EPIC Plus provides for a reduction in the annual fees, deductibles and co-payments for current subscribers. The program will reduce the average annual out-of-pocket cost for current enrollees with a savings of 22 percent or more each year.

"The need is apparent, especially with over 90,000 New Yorkers having lost their Medicare coverage through their HMOs in the last two years," said Michael Burgess, executive director of the Statewide Senior Action Council.

On average, senior citizens use three times more prescription medications than younger segments of the population. This, when coupled with the fact that prescription drugs represent the largest single medical expense for New York seniors and that the increase in the cost of pharmaceuticals has far outpaced that for medical services, generally demonstrates the importance of this program to senior citizens especially those low-and middle-income seniors living on fixed incomes.

"The 50 prescription drugs most often used by senior citizens increased an average of four times the rate of inflation just in 1998 alone," said Skelos. "That is why this legislation is important and the assembly passed it."

"EPIC Plus is the right prescription for helping our state's middle and lower-income seniors save on the cost of prescription drugs," said Marcellino. "I am hopeful the Assembly will follow our lead and ensure this much-needed relief becomes law."

Another major factor which adds to the rising cost of prescription drugs, is the increased advertising, according to those involved with this legislation.

"All of the direct advertising that is out right now leads people to ask their physician for a name-brand drug," said Hannon. "Everyone knows what Claritin is. Is it better? Who knows. That is up to the individual physician. The person taking the prescription drug is the one who is paying for the advertising."

According to a study done by AARP, Americans age 65 and over only make up 12 percent of the population, but they contribute one third of the total amount spent on prescription drugs.

"This is a great day for seniors in Nassau County and throughout the State of New York," said Senator Fuschillo. "Enough is enough. When is it going to stop? We answered that call with the original EPIC program that Senator Skelos created. Now we are expanding it."

A lingering question that the senators would like an answer to is why prescription costs have been raised so dramatically. "The Senate will be exploring and having hearings [with manufacturers] to find out why the cost of prescription drugs is skyrocketing in this country and why people have to get on buses and travel into Canada to get the same drug prescription at a lesser cost than in their country," said Skelos. "That is wrong and we will be conducting hearings to find out why that is happening. This is a quality of life issue."

"Seniors should never not be able to take medication because they cannot afford it," said Fuschillo. "Why should they have to swallow that bitter financial pill?"

Senator Hannon, who chairs the Health Committee, feels that the lack of drugs is the biggest health problem today. "Seniors have responded in ways that are not necessarily the best," said Hannon. "They may forgo some of their drugs or their food or they may only take half of the prescription. This is totally counterproductive and leaves them weaker for the next infection that they may face."

The EPIC Plus program is one of the Senate majority's top priorities for the 2000-2001 New York State Budget. The Senate has earmarked $125 million in tobacco settlement funds to offset the cost of the initiative.

Senator Balboni summed up the conference, and EPIC Plus itself, when he spoke on the importance of the legislation. "We need to make sure that the golden years remain golden."