[Scape]

Seniors earning over $21,325 will pay deductible on sliding scale

Quote:

Single seniors with an annual income of less than $21,325 and senior families with an annual combined income below $42,650 will not have to pay for medication.

Deductibles will be based on a sliding scale and the highest earners could pay up to $7,500 a year if they have high medication costs.

Alberta Health will also introduce a program where a panel will consider requests for coverage of high drug costs for people suffering from rare diseases resulting from genetic disorders. This coverage would apply only to people who have lived in the province for five years or more.

Gee, wonder where they got that idea from...

[heathmatters]

This is actually great news for those that have income at the middle and low range. It could really help them reduce some burden as live has not been as easy as it used to be in the past. No products in the market are inflation proof and things had been extremely expensive compared to those in the past. I totally support this move here that would help ease the burden and help them get the help they should have gotten. da hcg | taurus nutrition | 7ke topical | Wyked | get muscle

[Nathaniel03]

The Alberta government has changed its guidelines for seniors drug coverage following a public outcry after the plan was first announced in December.

"There was considerable concern raised, and I think very viable concern, that seniors, especially those in middle income categories, under the plan we announced in December could cause some real financial hardships so I believe we've addressed that," Health Minister Ron Liepert said Thursday.

Under the new framework, single seniors with a taxable income of $12,000 and senior families with a combined taxable income of $24,000 or less will get their prescription drugs at no cost. From there, the government will calculate what premiums seniors will pay based on their taxable income.

The changes will take effect on July 1.

Under the previous guidelines, announced in December, single seniors with an income less than $21,325 and senior families with incomes of $42,650 would get their drugs for free, but the costs would have been higher for people earning above that level, with the highest earners paying $7,500 a year for coverage.

Liepert said his new plan will act like an insurance program where people pay premiums and minimal co-payments for each drug and seniors don't have to sign up if they don't want to.

But seniors advocate Noel Somerville of the public policy advocacy group Public Interest Alberta said this choice could put people in a difficult position.

"For some, it may be a good deal. For others, it's going to be very, very expensive insurance, and I think it's going to take people a while to sort out what the implications of this are," he said.

All middle-income seniors should be treated equally instead of having their payments determined according to their income, Somerville said.

[jeff744]

Are you a government plant?