With the Medicare Open Enrollment Period well underway, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a report highlighting how Connecticut seniors are benefiting from Medicare more than ever before thanks to the Affordable Care Act. In 2012, seniors will continue to have access to Medicare Advantage and more affordable prescription drugs through Medicare Part D.
In Connecticut in 2012:
- All Medicare recipients will have access to a Medicare Advantage plan that doesn’t charge a premium
- 90% of Part D recipients will have access to a plan with a lower premium than what they paid in 2011
- 44% of Part D recipients will be eligible for Extra Help, a low-income subsidy
- Monthly premiums for prescription drug plans will be as low as $15.10
- Monthly premiums for prescription drug plans for those in the coverage gap – also known as the “donut hole” – will be as low as $65.80
CMS has announced that the “donut hole” will be closed by 2020. Until then, those in the coverage gap will continue receiving deeper discounts on covered brand name drugs. This year, over 14,340 Connecticut Medicare recipients have saved a total of $7,763,281 when they hit the prescription drug “donut hole.”
Additionally, the Affordable Care Act makes more preventive services available to people with Medicare, including mammograms and cervical cancer screenings, annual wellness visits, cholesterol screenings, and prostate cancer screenings. Roughly 60% of the 433,000 Connecticut residents enrolled in Medicare have taken advantage of at least one of these free preventive services.
For more information on the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, including how to find the right plan for you, click here.