Politics & Government

Lautenberg: 10,000 Bergen Seniors Would Face Increased Drug Costs with Repeal of Health Care Reform Law

A repeal of health care legislation would bring back the "donut hole," leading to a gap in prescription drug coverage, Senator says.

The burden would be back on seniors to cover the high costs of certain prescription drugs if Congress repeals the health care reform law, according to Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

“A vote in favor of repealing the health reform law is a vote in favor of bringing back the donut hole that has emptied the pockets of our seniors,” Lautenberg said Tuesday. The House began debating the repeal of the health care law today and is expected to take a vote by the end of the week.

When the Health Care Reform Act was passed into law last March, part of the legislation addressed what is commonly referred to as the "donut hole" -- a gap in prescription drug coverage affecting many Americans on Medicare. More than 95,000 New Jersey residents fell into this insurance coverage gap last year, which included more than 10,000 seniors in Bergen County.

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The donut hole fix requires a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescriptions filled in the Medicare Part D coverage gap and provides federal subsidies for generic prescriptions also filled in the gap.  The changes went into effect on Jan. 1 and the discounts will increase every year until the donut hole is fully closed in 2020. 

Lautenberg released county-by-county data that shows the health reform law saves New Jersey seniors more than $863 million as a direct result of the donut hole fix.  

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“The health reform law ensures that New Jersey seniors have the full drug coverage they need to stay healthy and saves them hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade,"  Lautenberg said.


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