Lanza vows to broaden state's pharmaceutical coverage
for seniors
Saturday, October 21, 2006
By TOM WROBLESKI
City Councilman Andrew Lanza said yesterday that if elected to the
state Senate, he will propose raising the income threshold for New York
state's Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage plan so more Staten
Island senior citizens could participate in it.
Speaking yesterday outside the CYO Community Center at the Mission of
the Immaculate Virgin at Mount Loretto in Pleasant Plains, the South
Shore Republican said that many Islanders can't take advantage of the
EPIC program because their incomes are too high.
"For seniors, the most important part of health care is access to
prescription drugs," said Lanza, who is running to replace the retiring
state Sen. John Marchi (R-Staten Island).
Under EPIC's Fee Plan, single seniors 65 years and older with incomes
up to $20,000 pay an annual fee based on their income and get discounts
on pharmaceuticals. For married couples, the threshold is $26,000.
Lanza suggested raising the levels to $30,000 to $35,000 for singles
and $50,000 for couples.
Lanza said the current threshold hurts those on fixed incomes, even
if Island seniors tend to be slightly more affluent than others in their
age group around the state.
"Even a good pension can't make ends meet," Lanza said. "EPIC is
very, very affordable. It's comparable to a lot of private prescription
plans."
The state Health Department, which administers EPIC, could not say
how much raising the thresholds would cost. Neither did Lanza have an
estimate, but he said the money could certainly be found in the state's
$115 billion annual budget.
"There's lots of money being spent," he said. "This has to be one of
our most important priorities."
New York spent $892.3 million on EPIC in the most recent fiscal year.
Lanza's Democratic opponent is attorney Matthew Titone. Retired
Defense Department worker Charles Pistor is the Conservative candidate.
Tom Wrobleski may be reached at wrobleski@siadvance.com. Read his
polit.bureau blog at http://www.silive.com/newslogs/politics/.
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