FRANKFORT, KY – Democratic candidate for Governor, Steve Beshear, today introduced his plan to promote a good quality of life for Kentucky's senior citizens. The plan, called "Putting Kentucky Senior Citizens First," addresses issues impacting the lives of Kentucky's 500,000 adults aged 65 and older. The entire plan can be read here.

"My plan includes proposals to support the Commonwealth's senior citizens as they age by helping them seek and receive the assistance they need," said Beshear. "We must begin by providing our seniors with access to affordable prescription drugs so they don't have to sacrifice food, utilities or housing to pay for the medications they need." Beshear's "Putting Kentucky Senior Citizens First" plan includes:

Providing Affordable Prescription Drugs – Prescription drugs are one of the biggest contributors to the growth in health care costs nationwide. Between 2000 and 2005, prescription drug spending grew faster than spending on hospital care, physician services and home health care. In 2004, Kentuckians spent $3.5 billion on pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, Kentucky could save millions of dollars each year by slowing the growth of prescription drug spending.

In 2005, the average Kentucky senior citizen filled more than 35 prescriptions – higher than the national average of 27 prescriptions per senior citizen," Beshear said. "Even with new Medicare Part D benefit – a federal program to subsidize the costs of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries who enroll in the plan – prescription drugs remain out of reach for thousands of senior citizens. And there is no sign that prescription drug prices will drop any time soon. In fact, last year, brand name prescription drug prices increased at about twice the rate of inflation. This must change."

"As Governor, I will provide prescription drug relief for Kentucky's seniors and other citizens by funding the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program," said Beshear.

There are seniors who are enrolled in the voluntary Medicare Part D benefit, yet the plan does not provide them enough coverage and forces them to pay hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs, in addition to the plan's monthly premiums. These senior citizens fall into what is known as the ‘donut hole' – a coverage gap."

In 2005, the Kentucky General Assembly passed and the Governor signed a law creating a Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program. The program specifically was designed to provide income-eligible senior citizens in this coverage gap with financial assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs. Lt. Governor Candidate, Dr. Daniel Mongiardo, co-sponsored the bill. Despite the passage of the bill, funding was never allocated for this program, it was never started and thousands of older Kentuckians have been forced to pay the price in higher cost prescription drugs.

As Governor, Steve Beshear will provide the leadership needed to fully fund a Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program and extend the program to allow even more senior citizens to participate. Beshear's plan for helping seniors also includes developing a prescription drug pricing website and controlling prescription drug spending.

Ensure Prescription Drug Safety – A Beshear/Mongiardo Administration also intends to institute policies to ensure prescription drug safety such as promoting E-prescribing to eliminate medication errors.

"Kentucky senior citizens deserve access to affordable medications that are safe for them to take," said Beshear. "Unfortunately, senior citizens are especially vulnerable to medication errors such as taking the wrong combination of drugs or having the wrong drug or dosage prescribed. Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is one of the most promising methods we have to eliminate medication errors." E-prescribing is an electronic prescription order that can be sent directly from the patient's physician to the pharmacy where the prescription is filled. It provides real-time information about the drugs a patient is taking, thereby reducing harmful drug interactions and helping prevent duplicate prescriptions.

As Governor, Steve Beshear will also launch a "Know Your Pills – Save Your Life Campaign." It is critical for senior citizens to know the medications they are taking and their recommended dosages so they can accurately relay the information to their health care providers, especially in an emergency," said Beshear.

Promote Safe and Healthy Aging – Beshear will also implement policies and promote safe and healthy aging.

"Senior citizens and their families should feel secure knowing that if they or their loved one falls ill and requires nursing home care that they are receiving the best care possible," Beshear said. "In addition, we must put in place programs that protect seniors from becoming victims of crime. That is why a Beshear/Mongiardo Administration will seek to protect senior citizens."

Other protections the Administration will provide involve a Nursing Home Report Card. "Families across Kentucky face the decision of whether to place their loved one in a long-term care facility like a nursing home every day," said Beshear. "Families need information to guide them in deciding the best option for their elderly family members that ensures they will receive the care they need in a safe and quality environment. As Governor, I will work with the Office of Aging Services to develop a quality rating system that will be used to evaluate nursing homes and publish this information in the form of a report card."

This rating system will be based on routine reviews done by licensed inspectors who are charged with ensuring nursing homes meet the quality standards set by federal and state governments.

The report card will be accessible on the Internet through the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program and KYCares – an online service that helps consumers find the information they need. Nursing homes that are cited for three or more deficiencies in two consecutive years will go on a "nursing home watch list."

One of the best ways to protect senior citizens from becoming victims of abuse is to ensure they receive care from qualified, well-trained and reputable nursing home staff. Some states, like Louisiana, require criminal background checks of all nursing home staff. "As Governor, I will adopt similar measures in Kentucky's public nursing homes and long-term care facilities," said Beshear.

As Governor, Steve Beshear will also work to institute new, stronger laws to provide greater protections for elderly Kentuckians from abuse, exploitation and neglect. Beshear's plan calls for Kentucky to take stronger action to prevent senior citizens from being preyed upon by people and businesses that profit from financial abuse of the elderly. As Governor, he will establish an initiative called the Financial Exploitation Guard which purpose will be to alert older Kentuckians about ways to protect themselves from deceitful lenders and train financial institutions on how to identify and report people or businesses suspected of fraudulent lending practices.

Beshear also plans to work with the state's consumer advocates on aging to develop a program in Kentucky to assist our low income seniors and those in need of financial assistance to receive the support they need.

"Kentucky needs a leader who will work to improve the lives of senior citizens and fight for protections to safeguard them from becoming victims of abuse," said Beshear. "A Beshear/Mongiardo Administration is committed to doing both."