Prescription Drug Help For Seniors In The Works

Work has begun on a new program to help Missouri’s elderly poor pay their drug bills. Lawmakers thought they had the right program when they passed a bill giving the low-income elderly tax credits on their pharmacy bills. But that turned into a budget buster, costing the state at least four times as much as expected. Now, Senator Marvin Singleton of Seneca wants to create an insurance program that provides state subsidies to qualified senior citizens to buy insurance coverage for their drug needs. The program would be funded by an additional 30-cent tax on each package of cigarettes.