For Immediate Release s357

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 22, 2011

MEDIA CONTACT:

Catherine Edwards, Executive Director MA4 573.619.6185 [email protected] Twitter: @ma4voice

MISSOURI ASSOCIATION OF AREA AGENCIES ON AGING (MA4) CRITICAL OF SENATE PLANS TO STRIP SENIOR PROGRAMS FROM BUDGET

Home Delivered Meals And Prescription Drug Program Face Cuts In Senate Version of Missouri State Budget Legislation

Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (MA4) today issued a statement calling on the Missouri State Senate to restore funding for two key programs designed to help seniors throughout the state. Funding for the Missouri Rx Prescription Drug Program was completely removed from the budget bill passed by the Missouri Senate on Wednesday, April 19 and funding for the Home Delivered Meals for Seniors program was decreased by $1.4M. Funding for both Both programs had earlier been included in the Missouri House version of the budget.

In response, the MA4 issued the following statement:

“On April 19, the Missouri State Senate voted to eliminate the Missouri Rx Prescription Drug Program and reduced the House recommendation for funding of the Home Delivered Meals Program by $1.4 million – a cut which will result in a loss of approximately 250,000 meals for Missouri seniors.

The Missouri Rx Program is the ONLY program in Missouri that helps seniors with the ever-rising cost of medicine and does not duplicate services provided by any other state or federal program. Access to affordable prescription drugs is key in disease prevention and chronic disease management. By keeping seniors healthy we can help prevent unnecessary and costly nursing home care, which on average costs $138 per day. Proper disease management helps keep healthcare costs down in general by helping seniors avoid more expensive hospitalization and surgery.

Prescription drugs account for approximately one-sixth of all health spending by seniors, and out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs is a larger proportion of health expenses for seniors than for younger people. Missouri’s seniors need this program, as the median household income for our seniors is $27,000 annually.

Adding to this, cutbacks in the Home Delivered Meals program can have disastrous results, particularly when homebound seniors do not receive healthy meals or are forced to choose between paying for food, medicine or utilities. Long term, improper nutrition and healthcare access can lead to increased costs for long-term care and increased Medicaid outlays. If only 90 seniors enter a nursing home because of the loss of home delivered meal service, the state of Missouri would spend MORE in MoHealthNet matching dollars for nursing home care than the $1.4 million currently proposed to be cut from the Home Delivered Meal Program.

This one-two punch threatens Missouri seniors andThe Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging calls on the Missouri Legislature to do the right thing – and the smart thing - and restore funding for the Home Delivered Meals Program and the Missouri Rx Prescription Drug Program. These two programs are of vital importance to seniors throughout the state of Missouri and have a direct impact on the ability of hundreds of thousands of older Missourians to access nutritious food and critical medications throughout the year.

At a time when food prices are rising and the cost of health care is climbing, Missouri seniors cannot afford the additional economic impacts that would result from the proposed program cuts.

We strongly request that the Missouri Legislature revisit the budget during the upcoming Conference Committee consideration of the budget and restore full funding for both programs.”

ABOUT THE HOME DELIVERED MEALS PROGRAM

The home delivered meals program is designed to deliver a nutritionally balanced meal that represents one-third of a typical adult’s Recommended Daily Allowance of nutrients to homebound individuals. Participants must be 60 years of age or older and physically or mentally unable to leave their homes. Priority is given to people who have no immediate family members available to assist in meal preparation or delivery; individuals in greatest economic and social need; and people who are in the protective services program of the Missouri Division of Senior and Disability Services.

A high percentage of these meals are delivered by local volunteer drivers. State funding for this program is combined with federal funds, client contributions and other private and public donations to expand the reach of the program.

During 2010, the 10 Area Agencies on Aging delivered more than 5.2 million meals to Missouri seniors in their homes.

A complete position paper regarding the Home Delivered Meals Program is available from MA4 at the following link: http://www.ma4web.org/wp- content/uploads/2011/02/Seniormealspaper-v-2.pdf

ABOUT THE MISSOURI Rx PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM

Prescription drugs account for approximately one-sixth of all health spending by seniors, and out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs is a larger proportion of health expenses for seniors than for younger people. Missouri’s seniors need this program, as the median household income for our seniors is $27,000 annually.

In 2003 the U.S. Congress passed the Medicare Prescription Drug Modernization Act and Missouri’s General Assembly thereafter passed SB539, which restructured Missouri’s Pharmacy Assistance Program from the Senior Rx Program, which was operating at the time.

The MoRx Program was implemented in 2006 and since then, more than 200,000 seniors have received assistance. The program receives 20% of its funding from pharmaceutical rebates and 80% from the tobacco settlement fund. This is the only program that provides assistance to Missouri seniors who find themselves in the “doughnut hole” of prescription drug coverage. The program DOES NOT duplicate any prescription drug benefits provided by any other agency or private insurance policy.

A senior must join a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan before being able to enroll in MoRx. MoRx works with Part D plans to lower out-of-pocket expenses eligible seniors and individuals with disabilities pay for prescription drugs. The program pays 50% of all out-of-pocket costs for medications covered by a senior’s Medicare Part D plan, including the cost of the deductible and co-payments. MoRx continues to provide benefits when seniors are in the Medicare Part D coverage gap (the “donut hole”). MoRx is open to: a Missouri resident enrolled in Medicare Part D; single Missourians with an annual gross income of $21,660 or less or married with an annual gross income of $29,140 or less; and Missouri residents who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligible).

A complete position paper regarding the Missouri Rx Prescription Drug Program is available from MA4 at the following link: http://www.ma4web.org/wp- content/uploads/2011/01/MoRxpositionpaper.docx

ABOUT MA4

The Missouri Association of Area Agencies on Aging (ma4) was founded in 1973 to serve as a statewide advocate and resource for older Missourians. ma4 is comprised of the state’s 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), which were created under the 1973 amendments to the Older American’s Act of 1965. For more than 35 years, these local agencies have been providing vital services, programs and information to millions of Missourians and their caregivers, including legal services, home-delivered meals, disease prevention and health promotion, transportation, public benefits counseling, senior centers and in-home services. The 10 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) provide a coordinated network of care in implementing statewide initiatives that are designed to help older Missourians maintain their independence and give them a voice in articulating their concerns and changing needs.

As the official statewide association of these agencies, ma4 is dedicated to carrying out its mission of service, information and advocacy to improve the lives of older Missourians and to plan for the changes that will take place as the aging population grows in number and importance in the next decade.

NOTE TO MEDIA

If you would like to schedule an interview with a spokesperson from MA4, please contact Catherine Edwards, MA4 Executive Director or any of the 10 Area Agency on Aging Directors listed below.

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LOCAL CONTACT INFORMATION

Northwest MO AAA Becky Flaherty, Executive Director Northwest Missouri Area Agency on Aging 211 South Polk Albany, MO 64402 Phone: 660.726.3800 Alt. Phone: 888.844.5626 Web: http://www.nwmoaaa.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: Atchison, Nodaway, Worth, Harrison, Putnam, Holt, Andrew, Gentry, Buchanan, Dekalb, Clinton, Davies, Caldwell, Grundy, Livingston, Sullivan, Linn, Mercer

Northeast MO AAA Pam Windtberg, Executive Director Northeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging 815 N Osteopathy Kirksville, MO 63501 Phone: 660.665.4682 Alt. Phone: 800.664.6338 Web: http://www.nemoaaa.com Email: [email protected] Counties served: Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Randolph, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Warren

MARC Jackie Moore, Executive Director Mid-America Regional Council 600 Broadway, Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64105-1554 Phone: 816.474.4240 Alt. Phone: 800.593.7948 Web: http://www.marc.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson, Cass

District III AAA Raymond Diekmeier, Executive Director Care Connection 106 West Young P.O. Box 1078 Warrensburg, MO 64093 Phone: 660.747.3107 Alt. Phone: 800.748.7826 Web: http://www.goaging.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: Carroll, Chariton, Lafayette, Saline, Johnson, Pettis, Bates, Henry, Vernon, St. Clair, Cedar, Benton, Hickory

Central MO AAA Jean Leonatti, Executive Director Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging 1121 Business Loop 70 East Columbia, MO 65201 Phone: 573.443.5823 Alt. Phone: 800.369.5211 Web: http://www.cmaaa.net Email: [email protected] Counties served: Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Camden, Cole, Cooper, Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Howard, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Morgan, Moniteau, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski, Washington

Mid-East AAA Mary Schaefer, Executive Director Mid-East Area Agency on Aging 14535 Manchester Rd. St. Louis, MO 63011 Phone: 636.207.0847 Alt. Phone: 800.243.6060 Web: http://www.mid-eastaaa.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: St. Charles, St. Louis County, Franklin, Jefferson

Southwest Office on Aging Dorothy Knowles, Executive Director Southwest Office on Aging 1735 S Fort Ave. Springfield, MO 65807 Phone: 417.862.0762 Alt. Phone: 800.497.0822 Web: http://www.swmoa.com Email: [email protected] Counties served: Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Howell, Lawrence, Oregon, Ozark, Polk Shannon, Stone, Taney, Texas, Webster, and Wright

Southeast MO AAA Glenda Hoffmeister, Executive Director Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging 1219 N. Kingshighway St., Suite 100 Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Phone: 573.335.3331 Alt. Phone: 800.392.8771 Web: http://www.semoaaa.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Iron, Reynolds, Madison, Bollinger, Cape Girardeau, Wayne, Carter, Ripley, Butler, Stoddard, Scott, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscott, Dunklin

Region X AAA Carolyn McLaren, Executive Director Region X Area Agency on Aging 531 E. 15th Street Joplin, MO 64804 Phone: 417.781.7562 Web: http://www.aaaregionx.org Email: [email protected] Counties served: Barton, Jasper, Newton, McDonald

St. Louis Area AAA Dave Sykora, Executive Director St. Louis Area Agency on Aging 1520 Market St. Room 4065 St. Louis, MO 63103 Phone: 314.612.5918 Alt. Phone: 877.612.5918 Web: http://www.slaaa.org Email: [email protected] Area served: St. Louis City