A Million Medicare Beneficiaries Have Received $250
Checks for Help Out of Donut Hole
More than a quarter of the 4 million checks
Medicare expects to distribute have been received
Aug. 30, 2010 - More than 1 million Medicare
beneficiaries have received prescription drug cost relief through the
Affordable Care Act, according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. As
part of the health insurance reform laws step-by-step efforts to close
the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap, eligible
beneficiaries who fall in this donut hole this year are mailed a
one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check.
More than a quarter of the 4 million checks
Medicare expects to distribute have been received by eligible Medicare
beneficiaries.
Many seniors and people with disabilities on
Medicare face extraordinary prescription drug costs, and too often stop
following the drug regimens that their doctors have recommended as a
result, said Secretary Sebelius. These checks will make a difference
in helping seniors continue to get the medications they need, and are
one of many ways that the Affordable Care Act is helping seniors.
Nationwide, 1 million Medicare beneficiaries have
already been mailed their rebates and more beneficiaries will be
receiving checks in the coming months as they enter the coverage gap.
Eligible beneficiaries receive these checks automatically in the mail
when they reach the donut hole, and they dont have to sign-up to be
eligible for the rebates.
Rebate checks will help people with their drug
costs this year. Next year, those who fall into the donut hole will
receive a 50-percent discount on covered brand name medications while in
the donut hole. Every year, the amount Medicare beneficiaries pay in
cost sharing will decrease markedly until the coverage gap is closed.
The closing of the donut hole is just one of the
ways seniors benefit from the Affordable Care Act. In addition to
savings on prescription drugs, the law provides new benefits to Medicare
beneficiaries when they visit their doctor. All beneficiaries will
receive free preventive care services like mammograms and certain colon
cancer tests and a free annual physical starting in 2011 in Original
Medicare. Additionally, seniors can expect to save an average of nearly
$200 per year in premiums by 2018 compared to what they would have paid
without the new law, and most beneficiaries will also see a significant
reduction in their Medicare coinsurance as a result of the Affordable
Care Act.
The Affordable Care Act also contains important new
tools to help crack down on criminals seeking to scam seniors and steal
taxpayer dollars. Last week, HHS and the Department of Justice held
their second regional fraud prevention summit in Los Angeles that
brought together law enforcement experts, providers and seniors to help
utilize these new tools to fight fraud and protect seniors.
The Affordable Care Act strengthens the screenings
for health care providers who want to participate in Medicaid or
Medicare, enables enforcement officials to see health care claims data
from around the country into a single, searchable database, and
strengthens the penalties for criminals. The reduction in waste, fraud
and abuse returns savings to the Medicare Trust Fund to strengthen the
program into the future.
Seniors are encouraged to contact 1-800-MEDICARE to
report any solicitations of personal information, or go to
www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
For more information on how the Affordable Care Act
benefits seniors, visit
www.healthcare.gov.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Aug. 30, 2010 - More than 1 million Medicare
beneficiaries have received prescription drug cost relief through the
Affordable Care Act, according to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. As
part of the health insurance reform laws step-by-step efforts to close
the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage gap, eligible
beneficiaries who fall in this donut hole this year are mailed a
one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check. 
As inflation went negative, retail drug prices
jumped 8.3%; similar climb in manufacturer prices