Reps. Deborah Pryce, Dave Hobson, and Pat Tiberi to host Prescription Drug Card Forum at OSU

Medicare beneficiaries and their families invited to attend program

COLUMBUS, OHIO – Central Ohio Representatives Deborah Pryce, Dave Hobson, and Pat Tiberi will be hosting a Medicare Prescription Drug Card Forum at OSU’s Fawcett Center on June 14 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The forum will bring together sponsors of approved Medicare prescription drug discount cards to provide information to Central Ohio’s Medicare beneficiaries and interested family members on the savings their drug discount cards can offer.

“It’s important to provide Central Ohio’s seniors with access to information that will help them figure out if they want to take part in this new drug discount card program,” Pryce said.  “This event will provide a great opportunity for seniors and their families to learn more about their options, and have all their questions answered.”

"The new Medicare drug discount cards will help Central Ohio seniors save on the cost of their medication,” Hobson said.  “This is a new program and there are a lot of questions about it, so it’s important for us to make sure that they understand how to take advantage of these savings." 

"This is a great chance for our constituents to learn more about how the Medicare Prescription Drug Card works, and how they may benefit from it," said Tiberi.

The new drug discount cards are part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Modernization, and Improvement Act, enacted late last year.  On June 1, prescription drug discount cards became available to Medicare beneficiaries.  Should seniors choose to take advantage of a new drug discount card – a card that will look like an ATM card – they will see an immediate savings up to 25 percent on their medications. 

There is no deadline for when seniors can sign up for a drug discount card.  The cards will be active until the larger benefit becomes available in 2006.

Seniors who have not yet signed up for a drug discount card are encouraged to attend the forum on June 14 to have their questions answered by Pryce, Hobson and Tiberi; representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; representatives from the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program; and drug card sponsors.

For more information, please contact Rep. Pryce’s office at 614-469-5614.