Seniors Receiving Rebates To Cover Prescription Drug Gap

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WASHINGTON – More than 4,000 Middle Tennessee seniors who fall into the Medicare Part D “donut hole” coverage gap will be receiving $250 rebates this month, Congressman Bart Gordon announced.

 “The Medicare Part D donut hole has forced too many seniors to decide between purchasing their prescribed medications or paying for groceries and other bills,” Gordon said.  “These rebates will provide immediate assistance and allow them to purchase needed prescriptions.”

Under current Medicare policy, seniors’ prescription drugs are covered until their costs exceed $2,830 for the year. After that amount is reached, seniors completely lose coverage for a portion of the year, and must pay out of pocket for their medications, some of which are too costly at full price for those on a fixed budget. Coverage does not resume until their costs reach $6,440 and can be covered by catastrophic care.

The rebate checks will offer relief to the 85,000 seniors in Tennessee who will be affected by the donut hole this year. The checks are the first step in the phase-out of the donut hole initiated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law earlier this year. Beginning in January 2011, seniors who fall into the donut hole will receive a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs. The donut hole will be closed entirely in the next 10 years, saving Tennessee seniors a total of $1.7 billion.

“I have fought for this fix since Medicare Part D was put into place in 2003.  There is no other insurance plan in America that has this kind of gap,” Gordon said.  “With the passage of the Affordable Care Act last spring, seniors in my district will be more secure knowing their prescription coverage will be there when they need it.” 

Gordon encourages Middle Tennessee seniors to learn more about the benefits of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by visiting www.house.gov/bart for more information.

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October 26, 2010 at 1:57pm
Looks like Gordons in trouble again with some locals when he championed this. Helps me and four thousand others-Thanks Bart!

Now if Gordon can get that $250 cash payment for Social Security beneficiaries which was defeated by all Republicans last year who also had the votes of a dozen turncoat Democrats, maybe he can redeem himself with at least one local.
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October 26, 2010 at 2:21pm
I think I have identified the source of your liberalism, dailyreader. You are quite content to receive the hard-earned money of other people because it "helps me."
October 26, 2010 at 2:24pm
hear hear kevin
October 26, 2010 at 2:30pm
We had to borrow the money from China to send out these checks, so what's a few more billion to further enslave our grandchildren to the Chinese.

Looks like Obama got his money's worth in the the $250 bribe he promised you to support of Obamacare Health Care Deform.

Bart sold us down the river with his Obamacare vote and that is what he will be remembered for.
October 26, 2010 at 6:48pm
Kevin Halpren: I suppose you are correct. I pay well over $10,000 a year for my health care, including all supplements and the associated deductibles. Lucky to obtain the supplement since most insurance companies don't like to have people with cancer on their books.
If you and your wife are in the doughnut hole the $250 dollars each will buy a few more very expensive drugs needed for some cancer survivours (and others), helping to tide you over until you get out of that hole.

While the CPI stayed flat, seniors who must buy coverage most likely saw their premiums rise(20% 0n Part D along), saw greater co-pays on the drugs they had to purchase.
We along with all investors saw rates plummet on CDs that were the mainstay of our retirement, forcing either to withdraw principal or try to get by on fewer dollars. Along with that all saw the values of our homes take a similar plunge and if you were in the market and looking for that investment to help you out, you were sorely disappointed.
Veterans saw major changes a few years back where only those who had service connected disabilities and low incomes could receive the benefits we were promised in the 40s and 50s. Did not help a lot when my company decided they could maximize profits by buying Chinese or and/assemble in Mexico and did just that along with a smart move on their part to get out of obligations made to retirees)

So, I will be honest, I appreciate (and I suspect most of the 58 million other seniors do also (might check on those at the Holiday House) the $250 and I would appreciate a $250 check from Social Security and I know full well those that are working now along with my grandchildren and great (maybe even great-great) grandchildren will be forced to shoulder this burden.

So you are correct, just another Liberal Democrat on government dole.

[Delete]
October 26, 2010 at 8:29pm
Dailyreader:

You need to worry about Murfreesbor and not Woodbury.

Go spread your liberal manure in a town where you vote.

Since you have no vested interest in Woodbury, you can't vote here, you don't pay taxes here and you don't live here kindly keep your opinions in Murfreesboro.

No one wants to listen to your liberal hatred because you offer no solutions.

GO AWAY! Try the DNJ unless they have kicked you off of their website already for spreading your sensless garbage!
October 27, 2010 at 5:58am
With, I hope, the indulgence of the Courier, I would like to quote a couple verses for doolittlerd77 to balance out his "liberal hatred" he finds in me.


Proverbs 26:23 Like a coating of glaze over earthenware are fervent lips with an evil heart.

Matthew 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.


[Delete]
October 27, 2010 at 7:33am
dailyreader:

You offer no solutions to any problem presented. You offer nothing but complaints, random quotes and articles by liberal pundits you research off of the internet.

You blast every Republican candidate running for office in Cannon County depsite the fact you can not vote for them.

You complain about my town getting a water line grant and how you shouldn't have to pay for it because you don't live here.

As far as I know, no one asked you to come visit. You are more than welcome to stay in Murfreesboro where you live.

You don't pay taxes here, you don't live here and you have no vested interest in our community, our government or our people.

You are the very definition of a troublemaker and an instigator.

Let me quote something for you:

"GO AWAY" try lying to people in your own town!
October 27, 2010 at 8:13am
"You complain about my town getting a water line grant and how you shouldn't have to pay for it because you don't live here."

For the record: I liked the idea of the stimulus that the Democrats passed for projects like this--I think it was money, for the most part, well spent and created jobs and upgraded infrastructures across the nation--some was wasted as with any government project--what I was pointing out was the hypocrisy of those who denounced the plan, condemned it as wasteful spending of tax payers monies and then fell all over themselves to get a slice of the pie or to take credit in getting the money alloted to projects in their districts.



[Delete]
October 27, 2010 at 9:13am
Yes the stimulous package has worked sooo great. The economy is sooo much better now.

Unemployment is great and the housing market is booming again thanks to the stimulous package.

I remember your president promoting all of the "shovel ready" jobs the stimulous package was going to create.

I remember your president and your glorious democrats predicting the unemployment rate would drop into the 7% and 8% range because of the stimulous package.

There are millions of dollars still un-used in the stimulous package by your perfect democrats and the economy still sucks. That is brilliant thinking.

Once again, you offer no solutions and you have you nose in the business of a county you don't live in.

You have no other agenda other than starting trouble.

You can leave now.
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