Health care reform benefits start for seniors ('Donut hole' payoffs are in the mail)

Saipan Tribune ^ | 6/11/10

[Libloather]

Health care reform benefits start for seniors
Friday, June 11, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are now beginning to mail checks to seniors who have spent more than $2,830 on prescription medication this year. Seniors who fell into the Medicare Part D “donut hole” may receive a non-taxable rebate of up to $250. Checks will continue to be mailed monthly over the next several months to seniors as they enter the coverage gap.

“The checks are just the first benefit for our seniors from the health reform legislation we passed in March,” said Rep. Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP). “Beginning in January 2011, seniors in the Medicare Prescription Drug program, who fall into the so-called 'donut hole' will receive a 50-percent discount on brand name drugs. By 2020, the donut hole will be completely closed.”

Seniors fall into the “donut hole” when they spend between $2,700 and $6,154 per year on prescription medicine. This level of spending falls outside the traditional Medicare Part D coverage for medications, but not up to the “catastrophic care” level also covered.

The Patient Protections and Affordable Care act passed this year by congressional Democrats and signed into law by President Obama makes changes each year to close this donut hole by 2020. In the meantime, those seniors whose medication costs exceeded $2,830 per year and who are not considered “dual eligible” by CMS should receive a rebate of up to $250.

“Prescription drugs cost many of our man'amko [elderly] thousands of dollars a year. This check is a down payment on reducing prescription drug costs for seniors and eventually closing the donut hole altogether,” Sablan said. “This is just the first example of how the health care reform bill will strengthen Medicare and help seniors.”

Medicare recipients don't have to do anything to get the $250 check-once their drug costs for the year hit $2,830, the one-time check will be issued automatically.

Making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors is only one of the many benefits for seniors included in the recently enacted health reform law. Other benefits for seniors include free preventive care services under Medicare, beginning in 2011. (PR)

[Libloather]

"The checks are just the first benefit for our seniors..."

Rationed care is another.

[Sacajaweau]

50% discount for BRAND NAME DRUGS....

[silverleaf]

we be speaking in Chamorro now?
Guess dem islan’ didn’t tip ova yet.

[sickoflibs]

RE :” WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are now beginning to mail checks to seniors who have spent more than $2,830 on prescription medication this year. Seniors who fell into the Medicare Part D “donut hole” may receive a non-taxable rebate of up to $250. Checks will continue to be mailed monthly over the next several months to seniors as they enter the coverage gap.
“The checks are just the first benefit for our seniors from the health reform legislation we passed in March,” said Rep. Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP). “

Yep, with an election coming up Dems send out those voter bribe checks.

Yet Obama hired the debt commission to conclude that “ The 2.4T $ debt Obama ran up was all necessary to SAVE the economy BUT the long term structural deficits Obama inherited must be addressed with cuts in SS and medicare ”, not to mention Obama care cutting medicare already. So seniors must pay for democrats spending orgy. Doubt me?? Bernake just repeated that same line of crap yesterday to congress.

Seniors , are you as stupid as democrats think?

[KarlInOhio]

Seniors fall into the “donut hole” when they spend between $2,700 and $6,154 per year on prescription medicine. This level of spending falls outside the traditional Medicare Part D coverage for medications, but not up to the “catastrophic care” level also covered.

The donut hole existed in the first place because the Bush administration knew they couldn't pass a catastrophic cost only drug insurance plan which asked every senior citizen to pay more premiums to benefit patients with multi-thousand dollar drug bills. So they tossed in coverage at the low level too to avoid a disaster like Rostenkowski's Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act in 1988 which was quickly ended after pictures of old people chasing Congressmen down the street in anger hit the news.

Now they make a bad idea worse by covering everything.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

seniors who have spent more than $2,830 on prescription medication this year.

Does the 2,830 number mean how much a senior would have paid out-of-pocket for covered drugs, or does it mean the total cost of drugs, $ paid by Uncle Sam plus $ in out-of-pocket expenses?

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

50% discount for BRAND NAME DRUGS....

CVS has a program that costs $10 for a year, in which more than 400 generic prescriptions cost $10 for a 90 day supply, for those who don't have insurance. That's a great plan for my father in law, who can't get insurance because of a heart condition.

[GailA]

AMMO: Print them out and distribute them to all the seniors you know or email the links.

Seniors Must Scrutinize Medicare Mailer
IBD Editorials ^ | June 8, 2010 | NEWT GINGRICH AND NANCY DESMOND
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/536677/201006081815/Seniors-Must-Scrutinize-Medicare-Mailer.aspx

“Your guaranteed Medicare benefits won’t change — whether you get them through Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan.” According to the new medicare mailer. BTW we received 2 of those suckers.

Report: Bill would reduce senior care Medicare cuts approved by House may affect access to providers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/14/AR2009111402597.html

Seniors’ coverage options dwindle as Medicare Advantage programs close shop
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-advantage_22bus.ART.State.Edition1.3c912a9.html

Health Reform’s Hidden Victims Young people and seniors would pay a high price for ObamaCare.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574306303720472842.html

Mayo clinic stops taking Medicare patients
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=517004

Weighing Medical Costs of End-of-Life Care
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/health/23ucla.html?_r=1&ref=business&pagewanted=all

Survey in New England Journal of Medicine Says 46% of US Doctors Will Quit If Obamacare Passes
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2798380/shocking_survey_in_new_england_journal.html?cat=75

Slashing Medicare to pay for healthcare reform an ugly shell game
Dr. Stuart M. Shapiro,
July 27, 2009
http://www.mcknights.com/slashing-medicare-to-pay-for-healthcare-reform-an-ugly-shell-game/article/140656/

Obamacare Impact on Seniors
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/05/Obamacare-Impact-on-Seniors

March 28, 2010 Health law’s heavy impact Paul Guppy
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/mar/28/health-laws-heavy-impact/

The Senate Health Bill: Ordinary Americans Have Been Warned
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/17/the-senate-health-bill-ordinary-americans-have-been-warned/

Obama Names Rationing Czar to Run Medicare
by Terence P. Jeffrey
05/26/2010
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=37186

[susannah59]

I hope that seniors continue to pay attention. I've talked to quite a few who are very, very concerned about what is going to happen. They aren't stupid and they are informed.

The $250 is merely a gesture. For someone who has prescription drug costs of $400 or more a month, $250 is very temporary, very partial relief.

A lot of people on Medicare were actually better off before Medicare Part D. They qualified for the pharmaceutical companies' assistance programs (free, brand-name medications) but, once Part D kicked in, they had "coverage" and no longer qualified, even though in many cases changing from brand name to generic was necessary.

It might come as a shock to Dr. Obama, but not every medication has a good generic alternative. Some are too new to have generic equivalents; sometimes the generics are not the same, have to be taken more often, are not tolerated as well, and so forth. Sometimes generics work just fine, but not always.

Time to get off the soapbox now....

[sheana]

Walmart and Target both have $4 scrips. When my mom was still alive she hit the donut hole real quick. I switched all her drugs to Target generics and we didn’t have to worry about it anymore
.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Good on CVS.

[hinckley buzzard]

A $250 check won't mean squat to anyone in the donut hole. This is going to backfire because seniors are more lucid than the obama scum give them credit for.

[GailA]

That wouldn’t even cover 1 month supply of the 5 RX’s I have to take. It would barely pay for 1 pair of shoes for my nerve damaged feet.

Yes Hypo-thyroid med is one of those where the generic is BAD, it is not as well absorbed, needing more testing per year, and has BAD side effects because of the fillers they use. Hair falls out, ulcers in mouth along with not working as well. Name brand Synthroid works with no side effects. And believe me I’d be the one who would have them. I had to fight to get the name brand co-paid for for those reasons.

We are getting double whammied as they are lowering the reimbursement fees 21% for our Tricare For Life (the over 65 retired Military’s secondary health ins, Medicare being primary) and socking us with BIG NEW Fees next year.

Then no doctor will want us if they are getting their bills cut by 42%.