Polls have shown seniors, who are an important voting bloc, to be more skeptical of the law than other age groups.
Administration officials have sought to allay those concerns and to draw attention to new benefits seniors will receive under the law, including more than a dozen tests and screening procedures that Medicare will fully pay for. Today they announced that so far this year:
- About 17 million seniors in the traditional fee-for service Medicare program have had one of those preventive tests without paying a co-payment or deductible.
- More than 1 million seniors have used the new Medicare wellness visit.
- Nearly 900,000 seniors have benefited from the 50 percent discount on brand name drugs while they are in the so called Medicare prescription drug “doughnut hole,” or the gap in prescription drug coverage.
“This is very good news and shows the law is making Medicare stronger and more effective,” said Medicare Administrator Don Berwick.
Whether Medicare beneficiaries actually realize these benefits are the result of the health law is unclear.
Also in the announcement today, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that in 2012 the average monthly Medicare prescription drug coverage premium will fall by 76 cents to $30. The falling price of the premium has nothing to do with the health law, but more to do with market competition between plans and increasing use of cheaper, generic drugs.