Carlucci Proposes Plans to Help Seniors

Senator David Carlucci discussed a variety of ways to make life more affordable with his Senior Advisory Committee Thursday at Nanuet Library.

One method is legislation he is proposing that would increase the number of seniors eligible for the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) Program, which was designed help control out-of-pocket Meidare Part D drug plan costs.

EPIC, which helps control the cost of prescription medications, currently requires that the person be age 65 or older, but they must have an income below $35,000 a year if they are single, $50,000 if married. Carlucci's proposal would raise the thresholds to $75,000 a year for those who are single and $100,000 for married couples.

"Unfortunately, the cost of prescription drugs is inflating at double the cost of inflation," Carlucci said. "It’s increasing every year at that rate. It is something we really have got to get a handle on. In New York State over the next 25 years, the senior population is going to double. That means we’ve got to focus like a laser on how we improve the quality pf life of seniors in New York State. One of the proposals we’re pushing for in this year’s budget is to increase the eligibility for people to qualify for EPIC.


"We know here in Rockland County and the surrounding counties that $35,000 a year is just not going to cu tit. We have so many seniors just above that threshold who don't qualify for EPIC at all. They are forced to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars monthly for prescription medication. We want to stop the practice of seniors having to decide between food or prescription drugs."

Carlucci said his proposal would cost an additional $10 million for EPIC, which has recently regained funding, and that would make approximately 30,000 more people eligible. He said it is not just a quality of life issue because there also potential health care costs if seniors do not get the medication they need.

Carlucci spoke about this as one application if there is a surplus in upcoming state budget. 

"The top priority (Governor Andrew Cuomo) has hinted at is tax relief, which is great, because that is very important to us in Rockland and the Lower Hudson Valley," Carlucci said. "But the issue is what do you do? How do you address that issue?"

He said one plan that has been discussed, capping property taxes based on a person's income with the state making up the difference, has problems such as what happens when there is not a surplus. 

There was also discussion of a one-time payment to seniors to help with utility costs, which many members of the Senior Advisory Committee liked, but he felt something more long-term would make more sense. Carlucci spoke of incentives or aid in paying for energy efficiency improvements to homes, which would provide value for more than one year.

Carlucci also brought in John Wolham, Regional Director of the Office of Real Property Tax Services with the New York State Department of TAx and Finance to discuss STAR property tax exemptions. Wolham primarily focused on the new state requirement for all those who received a BASIC STAR property tax exemption for 2013 to register with the New York State Tax Department to receive the exemption again in 2014. The deadline is Dec. 31, 2013. Read more here and check back with Patch for more on Wolham's presentation. 

For video from Thursday's meeting, click here.