FYI Dana Fmom Medicare Watch [[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 4:08 PM To: Samet Kenneth Subject: SPECIAL ISSUE: Preserving Improvements to Medicare If you are having trouble viewing this newsletter, you can _read the online version here_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=krJSLYOxF7KKL9I&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Medicare Watch Your Weekly Medicare Consumer Advocacy Update _Sign up_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=nkLYI7PJIaJRJjL&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) | _Twitter_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hoIMJPMlG4IGL2J&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK 1L&af=y) | _Facebook_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=khKSJYOxE7LNIcI&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) SPECIAL ISSUE: Preserving Improvements to Medicare January 20, 2011 Volume 2, Issue 2 Understanding the ACA and What People with Medicare Will Lose If the ACA Is Repealed In a symbolic gesture, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in its entirety. This includes provisions that would close the doughnut hole in the Medicare prescription drug benefit, prevent insurance companies from discriminating against individuals with pre-existing conditions, and cover as many as 32 million uninsured Americans. The Senate will not take up the repeal bill, but efforts to dismantle health reform continue. Other benefits that people with Medicare stand to lose if the law is undermined by its opponents—by cutting off funding for implementation, for example—include free preventive services for Medicare consumers and initiatives to improve the quality and coordination of care that Medicare consumers receive. The ACA also extends the life of the Medicare trust fund for 12 years, in part by eliminating waste and creating greater efficiency in the delivery of care to people with Medicare. The law emphasizes primary care and encourages Medicare physicians and other providers to communicate with each other across settings and specialties to improve outcomes. It also aims to lower hospital readmission rates by lowering payments to facilities with high rates of rehospitalizations. _Read Medicare Rights Center’s press release on repeal of the ACA_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=nkIYK7PJLaKUKmL&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK 1L&af=y) . _Take action and tell members of Congress not to undermine improvements to Medicare included in the ACA_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=gnJKLMMhF3JHI2K&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Some improvements to Medicare that are included in the ACA took effect on January 1, 2011, and people with Medicare are already benefiting from the law. This year, people in the doughnut hole will receive a 50 percent discount (paid by drug manufacturers) on brand-name drugs and a 7 percent discount on generic drugs. While the 7 percent discount will not count toward the catastrophic limit, both the consumer’s share and the manufacturer’s share of costs for brand-name drugs will count toward getting out of the doughnut hole. For people with Medicare who have high drug expenses, this means they will be spending thousands of dollars less out of pocket this year as compared to years past. In addition, people with Original Medicare can now receive the preventive services that are recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce with no out-of-pocket cost-sharing. Such services include mammograms, colon cancer screenings and smoking cessation counseling. Also, for the first time, people with Medicare can receive an annual wellness exam at no charge in addition to their one-time Welcome to Medicare physical exam. At the annual wellness exam, physicians will take a person’s medical and family history, monitor weight and height, conduct screenings for cognitive impairments, and develop and update care plans. _Read more about the discounts during the coverage gap_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=jqLQIVNtH6IOKcJ&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . _Read more about free preventive services available to consumers with Original Medicare_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=ovK0KaPNJcIQLiK&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . _Read Medicare’s brochure about free preventive services for consumers with Original Medicare_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=heLMLPNlH5LDJYJ&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . _Read a timeline of implementation of the ACA, and learn more about when provisions of the law take effect_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=krJSLYO xF8KKL8I&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Medicare Reminder Every Medicare prescription drug plan must have a transition policy to ensure that new members have uninterrupted access to drugs they were already taking before they joined. Your plan's transition policy must cover at least one 30-day supply of drugs not on the formulary (list of covered drugs) and override plan restrictions (such as prior authorization, quantity limits or step therapy) within the first 90 days you are enrolled in the plan. Transition fills are temporary. Take action immediately and have your doctor change your prescription to a covered drug or ask your plan for an exception. This way you will ensure that you continue getting the medications you need after your transition period has ended. _Learn more about transition fills_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=nkLYI7PJIbJRJiL&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) at _www.MedicareInteractive.org_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=hoIMJPMlG5IGL1J&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Spotlight Are you planning to make use of the annual wellness visit? Will the 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs in the doughnut hole help you this year? If you have a personal story related to health reform, we want to hear from you. _Please tell us your story_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=khKSJYOxE8LNIbI&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Stay up-to-date on Medicare policy and advocacy developments, and learn about changes in Medicare benefits and rules with this weekly newsletter. * * * * Join us on: (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=nkIYK7PJLbKUKlL&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=gnJKLMMhF4JHI1K&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) * * * * The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives. Visit our online subscription form to sign up for Medicare Watch at _http://www.medicarerights.org/about-mrc/newsletter-signup.php_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=jqLQIVNtH7IOKbJ&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . Get answers to your Medicare questions from Medicare Interactive at _http://www.medicareinteractive.org_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=mjIWI4PFJaKVIlI&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) . © 2011 by Medicare Rights Center. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, please contact _Nathan Heggem_ (mailto:%[email protected]) . _www.medicarerights.org_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=heLMLPNlH6LDJXJ&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L&af=y) | _www.medicareinteractive.org_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=krJSLYOxF9KKL7I&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLR OrEdJIK1L&af=y) Consumer Hotline: 1-800-333-4114 _Unsubscribe from this mailing_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=nkIYK7PMLgKRKgL&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L) . _Modify your profile and subscription preferences_ (http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?a=gdJKLMMkF9JEIWK&s=lmKTJeO0IhLTLiOdG&m=7dKKLROrEdJIK1L) .
