Medicare Part D 2011 Medicare Changes Health Care Reform and Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Medicaid Reform News

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dow2664 Government programs like Medicare and Medicaid continue to experience pressure post debt ceiling revision. Funding for these programs has always been at the heart of the controversy. Some want cuts, and some want additional provisions. Those that want supplemental provisions have increased recently as more and more Americans receiving benefits hit the coverage gap. The “doughnut hole” is swallowing more Americans but generic drug availability recently increased. Almost 30 million people are currently enrolled in a Medicare prescription drug program. Each person that receives the benefits will end up paying a certain amount for their prescription drugs, and the plan covers a certain amount. All of this happens routinely until the plan reaches a ceiling payout amount. Once the ceiling is hit, then the expenses are out of pocket. This is the “doughnut hole”. According to a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, fewer people are being negatively affected in the “doughnut hole”. The reasoning behind the drop in the number of Americans being negatively affected may have to do with the availability of generic drugs. Cheaper generic drugs are more widely available in the current market environment and this is helping those that have to pay expenses out of pocket. Another problem though for beneficiaries is that the amount they have to pay before becoming eligible for catastrophic coverage is over 3500 dollars. Unemployment is at a relative high and many that need prescription drugs are stuck. They just can’t afford to pay the difference. Stephen Johnson