Editorial: Give new drug plan a chance

Thursday, March 29, 2001 | 9:13 a.m.

Gov. Kenny Guinn was well intentioned in 1999 when he persuaded the Nevada Legislature to create a prescription drug benefit for seniors with lower incomes. But the fact is this plan isn't working. So far just 200 people have signed up -- even though it's estimated that as many as 11,000 Nevadans are eligible. Critics of the program, which actually is run by insurance companies handpicked by state health officials, say it is too expensive and confusing.

Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, has introduced legislation that would overhaul the program. Rather than have private firms administer the benefit, Buckley would have the state itself run a single plan. Buckley also notes that the current plans offered by the insurance companies are too limited in how much they'll cover. Buckley would lower the co-payments to a maximum of $25 per prescription. The current system requires individuals to pay up to 50 percent of the drug's cost, which can be a lot, especially since those eligible for the program make less than $21,000 a year.

Congress has dawdled for years about the rising cost of prescription drugs for seniors. This inaction prompted Guinn's 1999 plan, which he has said he hopes to modify this year in order to increase the benefits offered. There is a better chance now that Congress will pass a drug benefit for Medicare recipients, but this is no certainty, which once again means that it will be up to state government to intervene. Still, while Buckley's proposal would be an improvement, the reality is that it will take the power -- and resources -- of the federal government to offer a benefit that truly will make a dent in the outrageous costs of prescription drugs.