seniors

Medicare advocates worried about possible costs to seniors

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:41:00 +0000

Medicare will look different a year from now, as the Affordable Care Act goes into effect. But, Medicare advocates are worried about some potential changes to the program that pays for health care for the elderly.

Strenghtening New York state's assisted living industry

LeShea Agnew — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 13:52:44 +0000

Governor Andrew Cuomo has proclaimed September "Assisted Living Month." The proclamation comes after state officials say more than two million New Yorkers will need some form of long term care by 2015.

Syracuse seniors adjust to a year without Ida Benderson Center

Tom Magnarelli — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:34:55 +0000

The Syracuse Salvation Army is taking senior citizens to the New York State Fair this week. It’s the kind of thing the Salvation Army has been trying to do since the city closed its own senior center. But the merging of seniors from the two centers has been an adjustment for some.

The EPIC program returns just in time

Ellen Abbott — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:24:46 +0000

When state lawmakers approved the budget this week, they restored a program that's vital to many senior citizens. Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage, known as EPIC, helps low and moderate income seniors with co-pays for prescription drugs not covered by Medicare Part-D. When it was defunded last year, seniors were forced to pay 25% of the costs of prescriptions. This made necessary prescriptions unaffordable for some.

Pharmacists at drug stores like the Gifford and West Pharmacy in Syracuse ran into a lot of problems when EPIC stopped helping seniors pay for prescription drugs. Gifford pharmacist Jim McLaughlin encountered many patients who had high co-pays and were forced to pay.

"It ends up costing more. Patients go without their medications and their symptoms start to come back, or they end up being hospitalized," McLaughlin said.