In The News
Wood TV Grand Rapids MN Grand Rapids Channel 8:
October 11, 2006
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Medicare In The News
By PATRICK CENTER
GRAND RAPIDS
-- Twenty-two and a half million senior citizens signed up with a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-profit organization focusing on major health care issues, reports 6.9 million beneficiaries will fall into what is called a coverage gap, or "doughnut hole", this year.
What does this mean for enrolled seniors?
"One month their drugs are $30, and the next time they come in they're $200, then it's quite a shocker. Then they say, 'I better learn what's happening here,'" said pharmacist Mike Koelzer, giving a real-world reality check.
At Medicaredoughnuthole.com, sponsored by Universal Drug Store, 24 Hour News 8 learned the average senior enrolled in the Medicare Part D program hit the "doughnut hole" September 22. What does all this mean and how do you know if you are affected?
The Medicare Part D plan benefit covers prescription drug expenses each year up to $2,250. Then comes the gap, or "doughnut hole." After the first $2,250, seniors pay 100 percent for all medications out-of-pocket. Once they have spent $3,600, the Medicare program kicks back in, paying 95 percent of all drug costs.
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