Connecticut State Pharmacy Assistance Programs (SPAP)

Eligiblity Requirements

• You must be a Connecticut resident for 6 months prior to applying.
• You must be 65 years of age or older or be a disabled person over the age of 18.
• You must pay a $45 annual enrollment fee per person.
• You must not be receiving Medicaid benefits.
• You must not have an insurance plan that pays for all or a portion of each prescription on a continuous basis or have a deductible insurance plan that includes prescriptions.
• You must have an adjusted gross income of less than $26,400 if single or $35,600 if married.
• You must sign up for Medicare Part D if Medicare eligible.

Important Note

• Due to a change in the Connecticut state budget, effective July 1, 2011, ConnPACE will no longer be available to individuals who are eligible for Medicare.
• The ConnPACE program will be available to only those individuals who meet all of the current ConnPACE eligibility requirements and are NOT eligible for Medicare.
• Most current ConnPACE members, therefore, will no longer qualify for ConnPACE because they are eligible for Medicare.
• Medicare Part D will be the only insurance that covers their prescription drugs.
• The ConnPACE program will only pay Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plan premiums on behalf of members who are enrolled in one of the Connecticut-approved Medicare Part D ‘benchmark’ plans.
• The ConnPACE program will NOT pay for Medicare Part D prescriptions that are not covered by your Part D plan. These are drugs that are not on your Part D Plan’s formulary (which means approved drug list).
• If your doctor prescribes a drug for you that is not on your Medicare Part D Plan’s formulary, the pharmacist should contact your physician to discuss other drugs that are covered by your Medicare Part D Plan. Your doctor may either change your prescription to a drug that is covered by your Medicare Part D Plan, or may ask your Medicare Part D Plan to grant an exception or authorization for that drug to be covered. If the specific drug is medically necessary for you to receive and is not covered by your Part D plan, your doctor must ask the Part D Plan for this exception or authorization.
  
  It is important to remember that this only applies to drugs that are non-formulary or require prior authorization under your Medicare Part D Plan. Medicare Part D excluded drugs will continue to be covered by the Department as they have in the past (i.e. Benzodiazepines, Barbiturates).
• There is an annual ConnPACE open enrollment period from November 15 to December 31 of each year with eligibility beginning January 1. The ConnPACE open enrollment period coincides with the annual open enrollment period for the Medicare Part D Program and is for NEW applicants only.
  
  New ConnPACE applications will NOT be accepted outside of the open enrollment period unless the applicant is within 31 days of his/her 65th birthday or becoming eligible for Social Security Disability or Supplemental Security Income.
  
  Again, the ConnPACE open enrollment period does NOT apply to current ConnPACE members. Individuals who are currently eligible for ConnPACE will continue to renew their benefits in the month their renewals are due. However, we wanted to remind you about the open enrollment period in case you let your ConnPACE enrollment expire for some reason and want to re-enroll. If you do let your ConnPACE benefits expire, you will have to wait for the next open enrollment period.

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