Medicare's drug coverage gap shrinks thanks to Obama's plan

[FarLeftFist]

Source: AP Newsbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) — Medicare's prescription coverage gap is getting noticeably smaller and easier to manage this year for millions of older and disabled people with high drug costs.

The "doughnut hole," an anxiety-inducing catch in an otherwise popular benefit, will shrink about 40 percent for those unlucky enough to land in it, according to new Medicare figures provided in response to a request from The Associated Press.

The average beneficiary who falls into the coverage gap would have spent $1,504 this year on prescriptions. But thanks to discounts and other provisions in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law, that cost fell to $901, according to Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which handles economic estimates.

A 50 percent discount that the law secured from pharmaceutical companies on brand name drugs yielded an average savings of $581. Medicare also picked up more of the cost of generic drugs, saving an additional $22.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-newsbreak-medicares-drug-coverage-gap-shrinks-140356865.html

[elleng]

1. This sure as hell should get some coverage,

as repugs continually use 'kill obamacare' as one of their major mantras.

[freshwest]

6. This is good for those who can afford an Advantage plan.

[Mojorabbit]

2. It has not helped me

and I truly wonder what people do. I can afford barely the 500 a month for the med that really helps me get through a day (provigil)but it rises hugely in the gap and I can't afford that so would have to go off it. I just opted to forget the whole thing instead. I have MS and I wake up extemely fatigues and go to bed the same way. This older med with no generic helps me to be able to do something during the day but I cannot afford it.

[SkyDaddy7]

3. Have you checked what the price is now?

Because it has drastically reduced my bill cut it more than in half. Thery are not allowed to gouge in the donut hole anymore either.

All my relatives have been very happy with their bill as well.

[Mojorabbit]

4. Yes, Since the open enrollment period started this year

I have researched it pretty thoroughly. I just don't know what people do when they reach the donut hole. Ah well, it could be worse. It could be meds that I would die if I couldn't afford them. :)

[tpsbmam]

8. Ugh....I empathize....I also have MS and crash an hour after waking up without Nuvigil (same as

Provigil....they're both armodafinil). I've gotten Nuvigil free for over a year through the corporation's free prescription program. Even if you have Medicare, I'd think that you'd be eligible for free or cheaper meds through this program. It's worth a shot.

Here's the link: http://www.nuvigil.com/prescription-assistance-patient-assistance

My quality of life without Nuvigil is pretty much zero -- I spend my life sleeping. I'll crash not long after getting up and, as you know, MS fatigue is beyond what healthy folks call "fatigue." We really need a whole new word! And once I get up from my nap, I'll crash again in the afternoon for a couple of hours. And then I'm ready for bed by 8 or 9 even though I've slept half the day away! It's a terrible way to exist. I'm totally different when I have Nuvigil -- I can actually have a life. Not the one I'd have without MS, but one that is a hell of a lot better than that which is overtaken by exhaustion! I'm guessing this isn't far from what you experience. I hope to hell you're able to get back on the med with this program -- I totally feel for you existing without it.

:hug:

[Mojorabbit]

11. You do understand why the medication is so important to me

It is over 800 a month in the donut hole. We make too much money to qualify for a help program. The nuvagil gives me a creepy crawly feeling but the provigil is just perfect. I have tried all the other options and provigil is the only one that gives me a life. I can't understand why it is not a generic after all these years. Certainly it does not cost anything like almost a grand a month to produce.

[tpsbmam]

12. It's obscene. Only people who have experienced the overwhelming exhaustion associated

with MS and other diseases get what a critical issue this is.

Why hasn't it gone generic? Big PHarma and the profit machine. So, here are some answers:

Modafinil is marketed as 'Alertec' in Canada - and over the Net. 'Alertec' is less expensive than 'Provigil'. Cheap generic modafinil has been available since 2006. But Cephalon has vigorously litigated to defend its patents.

In October 2011, Cephalon were acquired by the even more litigious generic drug company Teva. Consumer advocates and the FTC are worried that Teva's purchase of Cephalon is anti-competitive and will inflate prices.

I'd be nervous as hell about ordering meds from an unknown online pharmacy, but they're out there.....at Canadian-Internet-Drugs.com, 200mg Provigil for 100 tabs is $178.06. That's a 3-month+ supply. It breaks down to $59.33/month! I have to say, I'd be sorely tempted to fax/mail my prescription to them! Desperate folks......

We've probably tried the same precursors to provigil/nuvigil.......Ritalin, Cylert, Adderall......I was working full-time in a high-stress job that required my serious concentration and Ritalin made me high as a kite for the first week. I hated it! I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't actually like being "high." After that, it worked for about another 2 weeks and then stopped working. My neurologist upped the dose a couple of times but it just wasn't working. Cylert worked about as long. Modafinil is the only drug that has worked over many months for me. I still occasionally crash even with it, but less often.

Yeah, I totally get it. And living without THE drug that makes getting a life possible is cruel and unusual punishment! Thank the PTB for coddling big PHarma & kowtowing to its lobbyists. Whatever happened to that drug reimportation promise Obama made? Oh yeah.....the lobbyists got to him and it went poof! :grr:

:hug:

[lunatica]

9. I'm really sorry to hear that

We need to keep pressing for more health coverage, not insurance.

[Knight Hawk]

5. Yes and the

many billions of dollars that was taken out of Medicare Advantage has hurt the millions of middle and lower middle class people that had an advatage using it.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. The health care laws have helped a lot folks. My 20 year old son has health care due to this law.

With his asthma, he would be uninsured otherwise.

[Historic NY]

10. A little here & a little there Obamacare is working & making a difference.