WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. government eligibility rules may force Medicare and Medicaid low-income enrollees to pay more for needed drugs.

Advocacy groups said they feared the higher out-of-pocket costs would would force people to possibly refrain from taking their medicines or visiting doctors, the South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) Sun-Sentinel said.

In Florida, for example, some patients may have earned too much for state Medicaid, but because of large medical bills, they qualified for a state "medically needy" program that paid their medical costs, the Sun-Sentinel said. This year, medically needy patients were moved into Medicare's new drug program; however, because Medicare covers the majority of their drug costs, most no longer will be "medically needy" on Jan. 1.

In states with "medically needy" coverage, some people may not even know that their eligibility under the programs will end on Dec. 31, the Sun-Sentinel said, despite public information campaigns.

Health officials said people who no longer qualify for the special coverage will have to find Medicare health plans or drug plans with low premiums and co-pays, the Sun-Sentinel said.

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