Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §6162-A, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 643, Pt. RR, §6, is further amended to read:

2. Income. Eligibility for this program is determined by the same income levels as eligibility for elderly households is determined under chapter 907, except that individuals are also eligible for this program if the household spends at least 40% 25% of its income on unreimbursed direct medical expenses for prescription drugs and the household income is not more than 25% higher than the levels specified in chapter 907. For the purposes of this subsection, the costs of drugs provided to a household under this chapter is considered a cost spent by the household for eligibility determination purposes.

SUMMARY

This bill lowers the eligibility requirements for the elderly low-cost drug program to allow a household that spends at least 25% of its income on prescription drugs to participate in the program.