Seniors Caught Off Guard by Prescription Program Cut
By: Alex de Leon
Updated: June 13, 2012
Have you checked your mailbox lately? The state is sending out notices to anyone involved in this year's Medicaid cuts and it's catching people off guard.
Senior citizens involved in the Illinois Cares Prescription program are the ones most affected. It's part of the Medicaid reform package lawmakers passed back in May. They voted to eliminate the program altogether.
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) hasn't signed it yet, but it's expected he will since it's mostly his plan and will take effect July 1st. But, seniors say it's not fair they're hearing about it so late. "Any information for seniors on this as early as it can be gotten out there is going to be helpful" says AARP member, David Vinkler. "The fact that they don't have it means this window is shrinking of how much time they can kind of brace for the impact of these cuts."
Nearly 30,000 notices have been sent out.
Senior citizens involved in the Illinois Cares Prescription program are the ones most affected. It's part of the Medicaid reform package lawmakers passed back in May. They voted to eliminate the program altogether.
Gov. Pat Quinn (D) hasn't signed it yet, but it's expected he will since it's mostly his plan and will take effect July 1st. But, seniors say it's not fair they're hearing about it so late. "Any information for seniors on this as early as it can be gotten out there is going to be helpful" says AARP member, David Vinkler. "The fact that they don't have it means this window is shrinking of how much time they can kind of brace for the impact of these cuts."
Nearly 30,000 notices have been sent out.
