Volunteers help make ti leaf lei for Memorial Day last year as part of Kaunoa Senior Services' efforts.

WAILUKU — A change to Medicare prescription drug plans may help thousands of Hawai’i kupuna save on their out-of-pocket expenses.

According to information from the American Association of Retired Persons, starting Jan. 1, a savings of about $1,500 annually on prescription drug copays may occur for more than 10% of the people with a drug insurance plan who do not receive subsidies.

Previously there was no cap on how much people would have to pay for medications through Medicare, but Medicare beneficiaries can expect changes next year when key provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act take effect.

The savings are made possible by a provision in the 2022 prescription drug law that caps out-of-pocket prescription drug costs every year, beginning at $2,000 next year, for America’s 56 million Medicare drug plan enrollees.

Keali`i Lopez, AARP Hawai`i State Director, said Medicare recipients should be aware of the changes happening this year, and that Maui kupuna can do just that during an upcoming Medicare Open Enrollment Forum that will be held at Kaunoa Senior Services in Paia from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday.

The effort is being put together with AARP Hawai`i and the State of Hawai`i Health Insurance Assistance Program.

Lopez said the cost of prescriptions for Hawai’i’s aging population has often been a challenge.

“The cost of prescription drugs in general has been an issue, which is why AARP fought really hard for decades so that the government could negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for Medicare and we’re starting to see some of the benefits of this,” she said.

She also said previous plans may not exist anymore, so it’s important for residents to re-enroll.

“It’s complex but these folks are eager to help make it easy,” she said of the upcoming workshop.

Leilani U. Soliven, a licensed sales agent at Premier Benefit Consultants and who also runs the popular Kare For Kūpuna Podcast, said she will also be hosting a Medicare workshop on Maui for kupuna on November 22 from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. at the Hui No Ke Ola Pono – Cameron Center Maui’s Native Hawaiian Health Care System Large Ornish Multi-Purpose Room.

She said now is definitely a good time for Hawai’i’s elders to be looking at their plans.

“Right now it’s the middle of annual enrollment so there are a lot of plans available in the county. Some plans will be exiting the marketplace and others will be entering so there’s definitely a lot of changes that seniors should be aware of,” she said.

Cecelia Suzuki, program specialist for the leisure wellness program at the Kaunoa Senior Services center, said Friday’s workshop is free and open to the public.

She said Kaunoa Senior Services serves over 3,000 kupuna annually, and savings and cost of insurance is one issue this generation is facing.

“For some, they may be more on a tighter budget,” she said. “Cost of living, the medication, insurance, price of groceries, it’s a lot.”

“Our mission is to offer experience and opportunity to make retirement years the best years,” she added.

She said Kaunoa Senior Services center has a partnership with AARP to bring these types of events so that residents may “stay educated, keep up to date, and learn new ideas.”

Space is limited, and people can register to reserve a space at aarp.org/local or the AARP Hawai`i Facebook page. For those who can’t make it, a Zoom webinar will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 12.

Medicare Open Enrollment runs through Dec. 7 and allows recipients to review and make changes to their Medicare coverage.

According to an AARP article, there’s an estimated 19,034 Hawai`i kupuna on Medicare prescription drug plans.

In Hawai`i, the number of people reaching the cap and saving money on Medicare prescription drugs will rise to 22,689 in 2029. The article also states about 11.9% of Hawai`i’s 167,442 non-subsidized Medicare Part D beneficiaries will see prescription drug price savings next year. The share of beneficiaries seeing savings may rise to 13% in 2029.