Donut hole looms for many seniors
From the SFGate.com:
Violet Lawton fell into the hole — the “doughnut hole” in Medicare’s prescription drug plan.
The donut hole is a gap in coverage that Congress built into Medicare’s first-ever prescription plan. The gap requires most people with drug expenses over $2,250 to pay 100 percent out of pocket before coverage resumes at the $5,100 level.
“I had expected it, but it was like waiting for someone to stick a needle in your arm,” said Lawton, 80, of Alameda. “You’re waiting but — ow! — it hurts when it happens.”
Ed: Experts think that anywhere between 3.4 and 7 million beneficiairies will reach the donut hole this year. It’s hard to know because whether a person gets there depends on what drugs she uses and what those drugs’ total costs are, as charged by the plan. For more information on how “The Hole” works, visit the KFF’s Part D Cost Sharing area.