By Bob Moos/Southwest regional public affairs officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  

If you’ve ever gone a day without your medications or cut your pills in half to make them last a little longer, there may be relief for you. People on a tight budget can get help paying for the premiums, deductible and co-payments in their Medicare drug plan.   About 10 million people – about one in three people with Medicare drug coverage – now enjoy the break. But another 2 million may qualify for the help yet don’t even realize it. They’re missing out on hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars in savings each year.   Recent changes in the law make it easier than ever to qualify for the “extra help” program. Even if you applied and didn’t qualify before, you may be eligible now. The amount of additional assistance you’d receive depends on your income and resources.   If you qualify for full help, you’ll pay no more than $2.65 for a generic drug and $6.60 for a brand-name drug. If you qualify for partial help, you’ll pay no more than 15 percent of the cost of your drugs. The program is estimated to save someone $4,000 a year on average.   So, if you’re having difficulty affording your prescriptions, it’s worth checking out.   To get the subsidy, your resources can’t be more than $13,070 if you’re single or $26,120 if you’re a married couple living together.   Bank accounts, stocks and bonds count as resources, but homes, cars and personal belongings do not.   Also, your annual income can’t be more than $16,755 if you’re single or $22,695 if you’re a married couple living together.   If you support family members who live with you, however, your income can be higher.   In addition, the government won’t count any money you receive from friends or family for household expenses like food, rent, mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes.   Does that sound like you? Then give yourself a break and apply. Or if you have parents or other loved ones whom you think might benefit, reach out to them. Helping them save money on their prescriptions is one of the best things you could do for them.   There are three ways to sign up for extra help:   Visit the Social Security website, socialsecurity.gov/extrahelp. The online application offers step-by-step instructions and lets you work at your own pace.   Call Social Security’s toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213, to apply over the phone or request an application. Ask for Form SSA-1020, fill it out and return it by mail.   Go to your local Social Security office and request help. It’s not hard to complete the form. But you’ll need your Social Security number and information about your bank balances, pensions and investments. Social Security will review your application and send you a letter within a few weeks letting you know whether you qualify.   When you sign up for extra help, Social Security can also assist you in applying for state-run programs that pay for some of your other Medicare costs. Those are called Medicare Savings Programs, and depending on your resources and income, they can help cover the out-of-pocket costs for other parts of Medicare.   Get in touch with Social Security today and start saving.  

By Sen. Carlos Uresti  

We're off! But not exactly running.

The 83rd Texas Legislature convened Tuesday amid much pomp and circumstance. The 181 members of the Texas House and Senate took our oath of office, and the House wisely re-elected Joe Straus of San Antonio as speaker.   But the real work of the 140-day session is yet to come. My colleagues and I are anxious to get going, but the Texas constitution forbids a quick start out of the gate. In fact, bills cannot be passed during the first 60 days unless an emergency is declared by the governor.   For now, action on the House and Senate floors will be limited to resolutions and recognitions, and the legislative process will be focused in committees. But as the session moves forward, there will be plenty of time to conduct our business, and there's a lot that needs to be done.   The session began on a much more positive note than the one just two years ago, with Comptroller Susan Combs announcing the state will have $8 billion more than expected for the current biennium and $101.4 billion in general purpose funds for the next two-year spending period. That means lawmakers will be able to pay a $5 billion Medicaid bill left over from the last session and restore funds that were cut from public education in 2011. School funding will be the top priority for me this session, along with additional funding for child abuse prevention programs, and water and roadway infrastructure.   There seems to be a bipartisan consensus emerging to address the state's long-term water needs. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee, and the senator for a good portion of drought-prone West Texas, I support the growing call for spending at least $1 billion from the state's rainy day fund for the State Water Plan — a 50-year blueprint for water infrastructure projects and water use policies that focus on conservation and water quality.   The devastating drought of 2011 and a new dry spell that is taking hold of Texas tell us that the time for action is now. Texas cannot thrive without reliable sources of water for agriculture, industry, and municipalities. We must look to the future and put these forward-looking water-security policies in place.   Another fundamental need, particularly in and around energy-producing counties, is roadway repair and maintenance. I will carry legislation to create a road improvement fund comprised of oil and gas severance taxes and managed by the Texas Department of Transportation.   The resurgence of oil and gas production in South Texas and the Permian Basin has created thousands of jobs and spurred the state and local economies, but all that activity has taken a heavy toll on our roadways, and counties should not have to shoulder the burden of repair costs alone.   The resurging economy and the oil booms have replenished the state's coffers, including the rainy day fund. This gives state lawmakers an incredible opportunity to invest in Texas' future. There may be different visions of exactly what that future holds, but it's hard to imagine that any will be realized if we fail to protect and educate our kids, maintain our state highways and county roads, or ensure a safe, reliable water supply.   The starting gun has fired on the 83rd Legislature. The constitution doesn't let us get off in a sprint, but that's okay. With so much to accomplish, a marathon pace is better to get us where we want to go.

Austin,TX

State Representative-Elect Poncho Nevarez is excited to ring in 2013. Nevarez has already begun to work for his constituents and the State of Texas. The Rep-Elect became the first Freshman Democrat of the 83rd Legislative State Representative class to file legislation, which shows he is ready to focus on the issues that matter for his district. “I am ready to get to work for my constituents,” Nevarez says. “They have elected me to represent them to the best of my ability and what a great way to do so by starting early.” Nevarez has filed HB 334, which relates to the residency requirement for particular elective offices of certain political subdivisions. This bill allows elected members that represent a county with a territory greater than 4,600 square miles, an independent school district servicing fewer than 1,500 students or a municipality with a population of less than 6,000 to live outside of their political subdivisions. With a rural district that stretches over 400 miles along the Rio Grande, this legislation would benefit the elected members from his district. “Rural areas are very different when looking at the area to population ratio,” Nevarez states. “This will give the elected members an opportunity to have a little more freedom to choose where to live and not restrict them to tiny political subdivisions.” The Rep-Elect is ready to confront the issues brought forth this legislative session. With the 83rd legislature starting on January 8th, he is only days away from doing so.