Prescription Drug Assistance in Illinois

  Do you need help paying for your prescription drugs?

The Illinois and federal governments are working together to expand your options.

• Medicare Prescription Drug Program
  Starting January 1, 2006, everyone with Medicare will be eligible to also receive prescription drug coverage. The drug coverage will be delivered by competing private sector health plans, and beneficiaries will have an opportunity to select an approved plan once each year. The program pays for brand-name as well as generic medicine. For more information, link to Social Security: Help with Prescription Drug Costs and Official U.S. Government Site for People with Medicare.



• Illinois Cares Rx
  Created by the "No Senior Left Behind" law, Illinois Cares Rx helps people in need cover costs that are not included under the new Medicare Prescription Drug program. Effective January 1, 2006, the same day Medicare prescription benefits come into effect, this new program will cover people who were previously enrolled in either the SeniorCare drug program or the Circuit Breaker Pharmaceutical Assistance program. In addition, those who are not eligible for Medicare will have their current SeniorCare or Circuit Breaker pharmaceutical benefits maintained in this program. Illinois Cares Rx will be administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (formerly IL Department of Public Aid) and the Department on Aging. For more information, link to the "No Senior Left Behind" press release and the law, Public Act 094-0086. Download the brochure (en Español).
  
  
  • SeniorCare Illinois
    Administered by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, SeniorCare provides comprehensive pharmacy benefits to senior citizens whose income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. It covers almost all prescription drugs, including some over-the-counter drugs with a doctor’s prescription. For more information, link to www.seniorcareillinois.com.
  
  
  
  • Circuit Breaker Pharmaceutical Assistance
    Administered by the Illinois Department on Aging, Circuit Breaker Pharmaceutical Assistance provides prescription drug coverage for specific diseases to low-income senior citizens and people with disabilities. Members are automatically enrolled in the Illinois Rx Buying Club, and they may also qualify for a property tax grant and a $54 discount on your license plates. For more information, link to www.cbrx.il.gov.

  Illinois Cares Rx Caravan will travel statewide from August 15 until September 29 and reach out to people who qualify for the new federal program now, before enrollment starts, to make sure they understand how to join and how to avoid losing out where the federal plan leaves gaps in coverage. Partnerships in the caravan include Illinois Rural Health Association, Illinois Pharmacists Association, AARP, Illinois State Medical Society, Make Medicare Work Coalition, Illinois Association of Area Agencies on Aging, and the Chicago Department on Aging. To see when the caravan will be in your community, link to the Governor's newsletter or press release.



• I-SaveRx
  Developed for all Illinois residents without insurance, I-SaveRx allows consumers to purchase prescription drug refills in 3-month supplies from licensed, state-inspected and approved pharmacies in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Plans are underway to also allow importations from Australia and New Zealand. For more information, link to www.I-SaveRx.net.



• Illinois Rx Buying Club
  This program has no income requirement. For a $10 annual fee, senior citizens and people with disabilities can join and receive discounts on all prescription drugs approved by the FDA and available through participating pharmacies and a mail-order option. Circuit Breaker Pharmaceutical Assistance participants are automatically enrolled in this program. For more information, link to www.illinoisrxbuyingclub.com.

Other Programs

To learn about other governmental benefit programs as well as drug discounts offered through pharmaceutical manufacturers or other sources, contact the Senior HelpLine.

Download the chart, "Pharmaceutical Programs at a Glance," which provides brief summaries of Illinois, federal and other programs.