2010
- $250 rebate for Medicare Part D prescription drugs if your cost exceeds $2,700—that is, if you fall into the doughnut hole
- All guaranteed Medicare benefits remain intact, and reforms help the program remain solvent for years to come
2011
- 50% discount on brand-name drugs
- Co‐payments and deductibles eliminated for annual check-ups, preventive services and screening—such as mammograms and colonoscopies
- Investments in training more primary care providers, which will provide greater access to doctors
- Stronger incentives for hospitals to reduce avoidable, harmful re-admissions, reduce medical errors, and prevent acquired infections from medical settings
- Annual wellness visits allow you take steps to stay healthy
2012
- Return to fairness as subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans reduced back in-line with traditional Medicare
- Advantage plans required to spend at least 85% of its revenue from premiums and subsidies on medical claims
- Medicare Advantage plans that meet certain quality standards will receive bonuses; this creates incentives to provide quality care
- Medicare Advantage plans cannot reduce basic, guaranteed Medicare benefits, but some extras—such as free eyeglasses and gym memberships—will likely be reduced
2013
- New payment reform pilot projects within Medicare to develop and evaluate bundled payments, which create a financial incentive for providers to be more efficient and avoid wasteful, ineffective treatments
2020
- Doughnut hole closes; beneficiary cost-sharing reduced to 25% of total cost of prescription drugs, annually
Now to move to Medicare for All. Happy to see negotiating with drug companies to drive down prescription costs. So many people are doing without the medications they need due to high costs. I have a friend who has cancer and she was unable to purchase meds for very painful mouth sores due to the cost of $365. She is currently in the doughnut hole or hellhole as most call it. Without friends met through John Hopkins cancer web site, she would not have other meds. When a patient dies, their unsealed meds are shared with other patients on identical meds. $250 is something, but not the solution. I feel we are moving in the right direction and deeply resent the lies spread about healthcare reform by politicians and news outlets. Just demonstrates their greed and inability to empathize with other human beings.