The federal government is renewing Wisconsin's popular prescription drug program for seniors through 2012, state officials said today.

SeniorCare had been scheduled to end on December 31, 2009, but will now be extended another three years by the federal Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services, Gov. Jim Doyle said.

The Wisconsin State Journal first reported during the 2008 presidential campaign that then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama favored renewing the SeniorCare program.

 “SeniorCare not only gives our seniors the medications they need at a reasonable price, but it also saves Wisconsin taxpayers millions of dollars," Doyle said in a statement.

Nearly 90,000 Wisconsin residents are part of SeniorCare, which has a simpler enrollment process than the Medicare Part D program, a $30 annual enrollment fee and co-payments of $5 for generic drugs or $15 for brand-name drugs.

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www.madison.com/wsj/blogs/PoliticsBlog