Sen. Leone Casts Vote to Re-Fund Medicare Savings Program for Seniors

Responding to the wishes of senior citizens in his district, state Senator Carlo Leone (D-Stamford) voted today to restore $54.5 million in state funding for the Medicare Savings Program, a state-subsidized program that helps poor elderly and the disabled pay for their monthly Medicare Part B premiums and save on their Medicare Part D prescription drug costs.

State officials estimate that as many as 113,000 Connecticut residents were impacted by the cut that was included in the bipartisan budget which passed the General Assembly late last year. Today’s legislative action rescinds that cut and restores MSP funding through June 30, 2018.

“Today is a good example of the vast and important role that government has in people’s lives. When we just cut and cut and cut the budget, there are implications. Today, one of those implications was laid bare,” Sen. Leone said. “I want to say that just one approach to crafting Connecticut’s biennial state budget – cutting – doesn’t fix everything. That much is obvious. I believe that there are other options for our budget, options that both sides are going to have to consider. I am hopeful that our agreement today to protect Connecticut’s seniors bodes well for how we need to protect and promote the interests of all our constituents in the State of Connecticut.”

In 2010, the Connecticut legislature vastly expanded qualifications for the MSP, and now has perhaps the most generous MSP plan in the nation. Connecticut’s monthly income limits for the program are about twice the national average, and Connecticut imposes no asset test on recipients either, unlike most other U.S. states.