Loophole in Medicare Drug Plan Severely Impacts Seniors

The latest post on news.health.com reports that seniors who have reached the “no coverage” point in the Medicare Part D drug plan are less likely to use percription drugs or visit the doctor according to researchers at the University Of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health.

The team suggests that a subtle increase in the initial co-payments of prescription drugs can help protect seniors against the problems that arise from the loophole in their Medicare coverage. This “doughnut hole” will pose as a serious problem for seniors with chronic illnesses who need to take prescription drugs on a regular basis.

Welcome to Doughnut Hole Season

In a recent article at the Dallas Morning News, they discuss the current stress one in five seniors is now facing until the end of the calendar year. Doughnut Hole Season is the time of year when low co-payments reach their gap in the drug coverage provided by Medicare, and, as a result, they are faced with staggeringly high payments for their medication. In 2007, 3.4 million seniors faced this situation.

Through the current program, seniors are responsible for full costs once all of Medicare’s payments (co-pays and deductibles) have reached $2150. They do not pick up payments again until citizens spending exceed $5726. However, only one in five will reach this amount.