Seniors expressed concern about having to pay a portion of their prescription benefit at the first public meeting held on phase two of FutureCare yesterday.

Under the second phase, which will be launched in April, seniors still receive $2,000 worth of prescription benefits a year but will be required to pay 20 percent of the drug's cost upfront.

The second phase of the compressive plan is for seniors who turn 65 in the coming fiscal year or who are above 70 and will cost $600 a month.

It will cover doctors' visits, basic dental benefits, vision benefits and overseas care where necessary.

While many were happy with the plan some seniors raised concern with the new co-payment scheme for prescription drugs.

One St. George's senior said: "I am not happy with the 20 percent co-pay on prescriptions. It is unfair to cover all of it and then turn around and make us pay. They should have made us pay in the beginning. But on the bright side I don't have to pay it all."

Collin Anderson, Assistant Director of Ministry of Health's Health Insurance Section, told the 50-strong crowd the co-payment system had been announced when FutureCare was first and was now being introduced as a "cost containment measure".

"The purpose of the co-pay is to help control the utilisation of pharmacy benefits," he said. "It also has the added benefit of staggering the payments that the policy holder will need to make.

"For example, many seniors on FutureCare exceed their prescription drug benefit each year. When this happened, they must pay 100 percent of the cost of pharmacy benefits until the new fiscal year starts."

Another issue mentioned at yesterday's meeting was the length of time it takes to be reimbursed.

One 72-year-old woman, who did not give her name and is already enrolled in the programme, said: "I have been waiting nearly a year to be reimbursed from a doctor's appointment. I am on pension and have no other income so it is a hard burden to bear."

A 67-year-old, who is also a phase one recipient, added: "One concern is that it takes so long to be reimbursed for everything but the dentist."

Collin Anderson, Assistant Director of Ministry of Health's Health Insurance Section, assured the women and others that the slow rate of reimbursement would change in the next two months as they moved to an automated system.

Some have criticised the second phase for offering the same benefits as the first phase but costing twice as much. People who turned 65 this fiscal year or were on Government's basic health care HIP coverage prior to last year's implementation were enrolled in the first phase and pay $300 a month.

Government has said the second phase is cheaper than any private plan that offers equal coverage and that the majority people on the first phase were poor and would be unable to pay $600 a month.

The next meeting will be held on Monday at the Evangelical Church on Mission Road, Paget, at 11 a.m. The final public meeting will be held in the Cathedral Hall on Church Street in Hamilton on April 26 at 11 a.m.