Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore both have released plans for prescription drugs for seniors. Bush would provide subsidies for seniors to purchase prescription drug coverage in the private sector, while Gore would expand Medicare to cover prescription drugs. While the presidential candidates are debating this issue, state governments have been busy implementing their own prescription drug assistance programs. Twenty-one states now have some type of assistance program, including eleven states that created or expanded their programs in the past year. North Carolina is one of these eleven states.
Most states limit coverage to senior citizens and the disabled who have low or moderate incomes.
Although both major party candidates for North Carolina governor may not realize it, prescription drugs will affect their plans for their terms of office. Mike Easley, the attorney general and Democratic nominee, wants to expand the state's current prescription program for senior citizens. Easley would use some of the state's tobacco settlement money earmarked for health to provide the necessary funding. But such a proposal is not a done deal. Anti-smoking advocates and the state's medical centers have been angling for a substantial chunk of this pot of money.