If you’ve been following the battle over healthcare reform, you know how confusing the plan has become, and how heated the rhetoric! According to the official government site on healthcare reform, there are a number of senior-specific areas in the reform package. Instituting the changes will be the next battleground.
I’m listing a few of the proposals here, taken from the health reform website. Check the website for more information.
Medicare "donut hole" help could be part of the healthcare reform.
Under reform in Maine:
- 252,000 seniors would receive free preventive services.
- 44,800 seniors would have their brand-name drug costs in the Medicare Part D “doughnut hole” halved.
- An estimated 22,100 people from Maine have early retiree coverage through their former employers, but early retiree coverage has eroded over time. A reinsurance program would stabilize early retiree coverage and provide premium relief to both early retirees and the workers in the firms that provide their health benefits. This could save families up to $1,200 on premiums.
Seniors: Maine’s 252,000 Medicare beneficiaries will benefit as reform:
- Lowers premiums by reducing Medicare’s overpayments to private plans. All Medicare beneficiaries pay the price of excessive overpayments through higher premiums – even the 91 percent of seniors in Maine who are not enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. A typical couple in traditional Medicare will pay nearly $90 in additional Medicare premiums next year to subsidize these private plans. Health insurance reform clamps down on these excessive payments.
- Reduces prescription drug spending. Roughly 44,800 Medicare beneficiaries in Maine hit the “doughnut hole,” or gap in Medicare Part D drug coverage that can cost some seniors an average of $4,080 per year. Reform legislation will provide a 50 percent discount for brand-name drugs in this coverage gap.
- Covers free preventive services. Currently, seniors in Medicare must pay part of the cost of many preventive services on their own. For a colonoscopy that costs $662, this means that a senior must pay $155 – a price that can be prohibitively expensive. Under reform, a senior will not pay anything for that colonoscopy, or for any other recommended preventive service. A senior will also get free annual wellness visits to his or her provider, with a personalized prevention plan to remain in good health.