Jeannie Hagan has five words for people who don’t believe the rising cost of prescription drugs is a top concern for senior citizens: &uot;Thank God for rental income.&uot;

At the very least, the monthly medicine bill for Hagan, 69, and husband Ernest runs $430. Their Social Security checks pay for the prescription drugs they need for diabetes, glaucoma, cholesterol and other ailments.

So whatever they receive in income from the two houses they rent goes to pay all their other expenses. &uot;We’re lucky to have that,&uot; Hagan said. &uot;Otherwise, we wouldn’t have much to help pay for other things we need … like food.&uot;

It is not uncommon for senior citizens to cut back on either food or critical medication in an attempt to make ends meet — a dangerous situation, said Dorothy McDonald, executive director of the Concordia Council on Aging.

&uot;It’s a critical situation for some of them,&uot; McDonald said. &uot;Some can pay $300 or $400 a month … for six or seven prescriptions.

&uot;Some have Medicaid drug cards to help pay for it, but others are just over the income threshold for qualify for that.&uot;

The cost of medicine was also a hot topic for regulars at the Natchez Senior Citizen Multi-Purpose Center last week.

&uot;I have one prescription that if I refill, it costs $50 or $60 a month,&uot; said Rosaline Delaughter, 81.

Medicare covers much of the cost of another of her medications, Prilosec, which is more than $130 a month undiscounted.

&uot;I don’t know what I’d do (without Medicare), and that’s the truth,&uot; she said.

How to pay for those prescriptions has turned into a key issue in the presidential race, as well.

Both Al Gore and George W. Bush have presented plans for offsetting the rising costs of prescription drugs … an issue senior citizens watch closely both across the nation and across the Miss-Lou.

Stopping at Natchez drug store to pick up his medication, Leslie Robinson said he worries about the future of health care for the elderly.

&uot;It scares me right now, because I’m a man, 42 years old, and if I get any older, I’m going to have to pay these high prices,&uot; he said.

&uot;If I were president, I’d pass a law where all senior citizens could get their medicine for free,&uot; Robinson said.

Doris Talley of Vidalia doesn’t agree. &uot;I don’t think the government should give them away,&uot; she said. &uot;I think it should still be a private enterprise, but it should be monitored.&uot;

Many of those interviewed said they are not sure what the most effective solution to rising drug costs would be. But they suspect that holding drug companies accountable for prices would be have to be part of it.

&uot;I don’t know who all is responsible, but they definitely need to fix it from the companies’ side,&uot; Hagan said.