Affordable Care Act already saving millions for Seniors in donut hole

Pardon the tangent, but my late father always described his prostate (when he was explaining his frequent trips to the bathroom) as a donut, so every time I read about Medicare’s donut hole I think of my dad’s prostate. The Affordable Care Act, while still being implemented in stages, has already saved $166 million for seniors in the donut hole (something I still don’t fully understand, but anyone in the donut hole knows it!). From HealthCare.gov: The Affordable Care Act is cutting the cost of prescription drugs for millions of people with Medicare. Starting this year, people with Medicare receive a 50% percent discount on covered brand name drugs bought when they are in the donut hole. To receive the discount, no special action is required. Seniors simply purchase drugs at the pharmacy and receive the discount automatically. So far, 271,000 people have used the discounts to save an average of $613 for a total of $166 million. These savings will continue to grow. Most people who reach the donut hole do so later in the year, so we know more and more seniors will be helped as the year progresses. But seniors with high costs are already receiving critical relief from prescription drug costs. Most of these discounts are helping seniors with serious medical conditions – nearly 20% of the benefits provided to date – more than $32 million – are for cancer drugs and another nearly 10% – about $16 million – are for drugs provide to multiple sclerosis patients.
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