AUGUSTA – Despite the maddening complexity and limitations of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, it is likely to offer at least some relief to many senior citizens nationwide struggling to pay for the medications they need to stay healthy. But in Maine, where elderly, disabled and low-income residents have had the benefit of state-funded drug discount programs for more than 30 years, about 85,000 people actually may be worse off when the new federal benefit takes effect Jan. 1, 2006.

On Tuesday, Gov. John Baldacci said that although his administration’s hands have been tied by the federal government, the state must live up to its long-standing commitment and assist those who will be hurt instead of helped by the new program.

“Under Medicare Part D, the federal government has made our job – to ensure the safety and welfare of our more vulnerable seniors and disabled citizens – more difficult,” Baldacci told a supportive crowd of elders at Chateau Cushnoc, an Augusta assisted-living facility.

“The Maine plan we are announcing today is a frontline defense for keeping these seniors and disabled citizens out of expensive acute care and nursing homes – helping them remain living independently in their own homes.”

People over 65 enrolled in Medicaid, called MaineCare here, or in the program called Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly and Disabled, or DEL, will lose their medication benefits effective Jan. 1. The cutoff date affects younger, Medicare-eligible disabled people in these programs as well.

On Tuesday, Gov. Baldacci announced steps his administration will take to offset any losses these Mainers may encounter in their drug coverage as a result of the Medicare Part D program. The goal, the governor said, is to ensure that people now enrolled in these programs are signed up in an appropriate Medicare plan by Jan. 1 and that they incur no interruption in coverage or greater costs as a result of the transition. Some would lose coverage altogether if not enrolled by Jan. 1 in one of the 40 private programs available under Medicare Part D.

Flanked by administration officials, state AARP leaders and others, Baldacci announced initiatives based on the recommendations of a 10-member state task force that has been studying the impacts of Medicare Part D since spring.

He said he would seek permission from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to review the Medicare drug plans to which approximately 45,000 Maine “dual eligibles” – people enrolled in both Medicare and MaineCare – have been automatically and randomly assigned by the federal agency. Because each plan covers a different list of medications, he said, it’s important to carefully match individuals with the plan that best meets their needs.

Baldacci also said financial assistance would be available to help low-income seniors from MaineCare and some 40,000 DEL members pay for any increased out-of-pocket spending required by their Medicare plans, including monthly premiums, prescription co-payments, annual deductibles and gaps in coverage. In addition to about $4 million already earmarked for this purpose, he said he would seek more state funding through a supplemental budget proposal in the coming legislative session. The amount needed has not yet been determined.

Additionally, Baldacci said, with financing from the Maine Health Access Foundation, the state has increased telephone staffing at its “pharmacy help desk” within the Department of Health and Human Services. Trained staff are available from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays to assist MaineCare and DEL members with questions about Medicare Part D, including a review of appropriate plans.

Seniors enrolled in Maine Rx Plus, which provides drug discounts for thousands of Mainers of moderate means regardless of age, also should call the help desk.

Although Maine Rx Plus discounts will not be directly affected by Medicare Part D, officials say it’s important to check with the state before signing up for a Medicare plan or deciding not to. The toll-free help desk number is (866) RX-MAINE or (866) 796-2463. The governor said about 1,000 calls a day have been fielded since early November. (Caution: A call placed at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday was still on hold 15 minutes later.)

Mary McPherson of the nonprofit group Maine Equal Justice, who served on the state study group, said Tuesday that many older Mainers and their families remain mystified by the convoluted Medicare enrollment process and need solid information and hands-on assistance. Any seniors not enrolled in MaineCare, DEL or Maine Rx Plus, she said, should contact their local Agency on Aging by calling (877) 353-3771.