Marilyn Weiner needs 10 prescription drugs to help manage a long list of ailments: high cholesterol, hyperanxiety, needling pain in her feet and, the most serious, bipolar disorder.She used to rely on a combination of Medicare and Medi-Cal to pay for the drugs - assistance that allowed the retiree to get by on an annual income of less than $10,000. So she panicked when the Medicare drug plan that took effect Jan. 1 arbitrarily assigned her to a program that wouldn’t cover three of the medications, including Neurontin, which stabilizes her mood.

“I’d be climbing the walls” without the medication, said the 66-year-old Granada Hills resident. “I’d think I was flying - or I’d want to kill myself.”

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