Starting this month, seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare are feeling the full wrath of Gov. Paul LePage.
During the past two years, he has cut the income guidelines of the Medicare Savings Program by 10 percent, added asset criteria, and eliminated the Drug for the Elderly benefits for folks on the Medicare Savings Program (not the program, just the benefits).
MSP (QMB/SLMB and Q-I) helps consumers with their Medicare Part A and B premiums, co-pays and deductibles, and deems you eligible for the Social Security Low Income Subsidy and Drugs for the Elderly. Folks who lost the MSP benefits due to these cuts also lost LIS, which paid their Medicare drug plan premium, deductible, eliminated the doughnut hole and significantly reduced their co-pays for medications.
The average savings for consumers on the MSP/QMB program is $640 per month and $440 per month for SLMB and Q-I. More than 70 percent of the MSP benefits come from the Social Security LIS program, paid for by Social Security. The state pays less than 25 percent for the cost of MSP, and that is mostly subsidized by the federal government.
For 2015, the governor is looking at cutting the MSP income guidelines by 40 percent. He has told seniors that if they need help paying for their medicines, they should call his office.
I hope they do.
Roland Bussiere, New Gloucester
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