Today, many seniors rely on prescription drug medicines to stay healthy and fight both short-term and long-term ailments. As drug costs continue to skyrocket, the expense of these necessary medications becomes burdensome, forcing many seniors on fixed incomes or with access to limited resources to cut back on their drug dosage or forgo them altogether.

No senior should ever have to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine.

This month, you can do something for yourself or a loved one to help lower the cost of prescription drugs. Beginning Nov. 15, America’s seniors can sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and take advantage of savings to help lower the costs of their medications.

On average, seniors spend roughly $1,285 on drug costs per year. For a monthly premium of approximately $30, the new prescription drug benefit covers 75 percent of the cost of prescriptions after a $250 deductible, up until $2,250. It then offers 95 percent coverage for catastrophic costs after $3,600 out-of-pocket.

In Pennsylvania, Medicare beneficiaries who choose a stand-alone plan can get coverage for as little as $10.14 a month. Various plans in Pennsylvania will also offer coverage with reduced or no deductible.

In addition, eight companies are now offering an array of Medicare Advantage plans, which combine health and pharmacy plans.

Seniors who currently do not have prescription drug coverage or are looking for better coverage should consider this new benefit, which will allow the Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract (PACE) to be continued within the Medicare benefit to make sure that the most vulnerable seniors don’t fall through the cracks.

The new benefit is voluntary and flexible. If needed, seniors can revisit their options and change their Medicare plan annually.

Signing up is easy. To get started, a senior only needs his or her Medicare card, a list of prescribed drugs, and the name of his or her pharmacy.

It is important to sign up before the end of the year, so seniors can start saving money right away when benefits are available on Jan. 1.

There are several resources that have information about plans or how to sign up:

Call 1-800-633-4227 and talk with a Medicare representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Call Pennsylvania’s APPRISE insurance counseling service at 1-800-783-7067 to speak to an APPRISE counselor. This program offers counseling and assistance on a variety of topics, including Medicare, Medicaid, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, long-term-care financing options and other health insurance options.

The “Medicare & You” handbook should have arrived in your mailbox. It also is available, along with other helpful information, at www.medicare.gov.

Visit my new Medicare Web page on my official Web site at www.house.gov/english.

And, people may contact my Erie office at 814-456-2038.

Whether it’s the goal of local seniors to lower their drug costs, have complete coverage, or have convenient access, they finally have the opportunity to choose a drug plan that will meet their needs.

I encourage all seniors to take advantage of this new drug benefit and enroll in a plan this fall so that by the New Year, eligible people will be receiving needed prescription drugs and, in turn, saving money.