Shea-Porter Leads Effort to Fully Eliminate "Donut Hole" In Final Health Care Bill

Washington, DC –Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter is leading an effort to ensure that the final version of the health care bill will fully eliminate the Medicare Part D “Donut Hole.” In a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and Majority Leader Hoyer, Shea-Porter wrote, “ Given the significant financial impact on our seniors and the widespread support for the complete elimination of the donut hole, we respectfully urge the retention of the House language in the final health care reform bill. ” Shea-Porter was joined by more than 50 of her House colleagues on the letter.

“Many of our seniors are living on fixed incomes, and it is shameful that some are being forced to pay hundreds of extra dollars because they fall into the Medicare Donut Hole,” said Congresswoman Shea-Porter. “I have met countless seniors across New Hampshire who have told me that they have a difficult time buying groceries because of the cost of their prescription drugs. This is unacceptable. We must work together to close the donut hole and provide our seniors with access to the health care they need.” 

A full copy of the letter is below.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi                                                 

Speaker                                                                                  

U.S. House of Representatives                                              

H-232 The Capitol                                                                 

Washington, D.C. 20515                                                       

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

U.S. Senate

S-221 The Capitol

Washington, D.C.  20515

The Honorable Steny Hoyer

Majority Leader

U.S. House of Representatives

H-107 The Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid, and Majority Leader Hoyer:

We write today to express our strong support for the Medicare Part D prescription-drug benefit language included in the House-passed health care reform legislation. Fully eliminating the Medicare Part D donut hole is of critical importance and we respectfully urge that the House language be retained in the final legislation.

The House language makes an important commitment to our seniors by fully eliminating the donut hole. Senior citizens, many of whom are living on fixed-incomes, often face financial hardship due to unreasonably high medical costs -- a hardship that is exacerbated by the donut hole. Closing this coverage gap will mean significant and much-needed relief for the millions of Americans who rely on Medicare Part D.

While we applaud the Senate’s efforts to shrink the donut hole in 2010, it would not be completely eliminated. The House language provides for similar immediate relief, but continues to make additional progress in the following years until the coverage gap is fully closed in 2019. Efforts to partially alleviate the financial burden caused by the gap are important, but they must be accompanied by a long-term approach that provides for the complete elimination of the donut hole. The House-passed language achieves precisely that.

Given the significant financial impact on our seniors and the widespread support for the complete elimination of the donut hole, we respectfully urge the retention of the House language in the final health care reform bill.



Statement from President Obama on Agreement to Bring Down Drug Prices for America's Seniors

"I am pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached between Senator Max Baucus and the nation’s pharmaceutical companies that will bring down health care costs and reduce the price of prescription drugs for millions of America’s seniors. As part of the health reform legislation that I expect Congress to enact this year, pharmaceutical companies will extend discounts on prescription drugs to millions of seniors who currently are subjected to crushing out-of-pocket expenses when the yearly amounts they pay for medication fall within the “doughnut hole” any payments by seniors not covered by Medicare that fall between $2700 and $6153.75 per year. The existence of this gap in coverage has been a continuing injustice that has placed a great burden on many seniors. This deal will provide significant relief from that burden for millions of American seniors.

"The agreement by pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the health reform effort comes on the heels of the landmark pledge many health industry leaders made to me last month, when they offered to do their part to reduce health spending $2 trillion over the next decade. We are at a turning point in America’s journey toward health care reform. Key sectors of the health care industry acknowledge what American families and businesses already know - that the status quo is no longer sustainable. The agreement reached today to lower prescription drug costs for seniors will be an important part of the legislation I expect to sign into law in October. I want to commend House chairmen Henry Waxman, George Miller and Charles Rangel for addressing this issue in the health reform legislation they unveiled this week. This is a tangible example of the type of reform that will lower costs while assuring quality health care for every American."

NH DHHS Receives Funding To Help People With Medicare Apply for Special Programs

New effort to reach the most vulnerable in communities across the state

Concord, NH – The US Department of Health and Human Services is awarding $216,000 to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services (BEAS) to help the State’s most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries apply for special benefits. The funding will be used for an outreach campaign aimed at raising awareness among people with Medicare who have not enrolled in programs that will help lower their Medicare expenses.

The funding will provide valuable support at the community level for organizations such as the ServiceLink Resource Centers. ServiceLink is involved in reaching and providing assistance to people likely to be eligible for the Low-Income Subsidy program (LIS), Medicare Savings Programs (MSP), the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program and in assisting beneficiaries to apply for benefits.

“NH ServiceLink serves an important role in providing information and support to people with Medicare all across New Hampshire,” said DHHS Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas. “This new funding will help to ensure that NH ServiceLink continues to work with local governments, community-based organizations and other partners in New Hampshire to help meet the needs of our most vulnerable seniors and individuals with disabilities with Medicare.”

The grant to New Hampshire is part of the $30 million being awarded nationally as a result of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008 that is being jointly administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For more information about these grants, please visit: http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/Special_Projects/Medicare_Outreach/index.aspx

For more information about NH ServiceLink visit: www.servicelink.org or contact 1-866-634-9412.