Millions of Americans are falling into the "Doughnut Hole," or Medicare Part D coverage gap. Once the costs for prescription drugs reach the initial coverage limit, Medicare recipients have to pay out-of-pocket for their prescriptions on top of their premiums until they reach the catastrophic coverage threshold.
This coverage gap increases the cost of health care for many older Americans -- often, they don't know what hit them until they open their medical bills. The "doughnut hole" is getting bigger as drug prices outpace inflation, and Americans can't keep up.
Nearly 20 percent of Medicare beneficiaries delayed or did not fill prescriptions because of cost and many others don't take their medications just to stay out of the hole. This coverage gap is dragging too many people down, putting both their health and their bank accounts in danger.
Urge Congress to take advantage of the upcoming health care reform and close the "doughnut hole" so Americans don't have to pay full cost for their drugs as well as drug plan premiums.
We took action on “Close the Health Care "Doughnut Hole"”!
# 16,384:
12:41 pm PST, Nov 21,Sandra Oliver-Poore, Oregon
Once I reach the donut hole I will have to stop buying meds for the year while you keep collecting premiums. This was a bad idea, please fix it
# 16,383:
5:43 am PST, Nov 21,Sharon Wisnoski, Texas
# 16,382:
4:39 am PST, Nov 21,Cindy Frede, Michigan
The Congress, Senate & President of the United States should be ashamed of thereself. None of you deserve to have health care at are cost! Buy your own. There never should have been a doughnut hole! Take care of the American people FIRST!!!!
# 16,381:
4:36 pm PST, Nov 20,Daneen Regna, Florida
# 16,380:
12:50 pm PST, Nov 20,John McGee, New York
# 16,379:
10:47 am PST, Nov 20,Name not displayed, Nebraska
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW MANY PATIENTS DIE OR SUFFER INJURY FROM RATIONING THEIR CRITICAL MEDICATIONS WHILE IN THE DONUT HOLE.
# 16,378:
8:19 am PST, Nov 20,Marilyn Higgins, New Jersey
These exhorbitant fees wash away any savings that might help to take care of long term care when needed. Another frightful thought.
# 16,377:
5:36 pm PST, Nov 19,Theodore Seredocha, New Jersey
My 90 year old mother-in-law was charged $329.00 for a prescription. She decided not to renew any further medications. That was in June of 2009. Today she was admitted into a hospital for a minimum of 5 days under a doctors care. Congestive heart failure, diabeties, memory loss and edema have to be dealth with. The cost to undo this is much greater than the "doughnut hole". Eliminate the "hole"!!!
# 16,376:
7:38 pm PST, Nov 18,Edward Johnson, New Jersey
# 16,375:
11:21 am PST, Nov 18,Jeff Bay, New York
# 16,374:
5:59 pm PST, Nov 15,Susann Balk, Michigan
# 16,373:
5:41 am PST, Nov 15,Paula Berry, Pennsylvania
# 16,372:
5:19 am PST, Nov 14,Carol Burke, Texas
The average senior is stretched enough financially; please help close the doughnut hole; it is immoral and hurts so many people who suffer simply by not taking their medicine when they get to that period. We pay plenty, and it is not right. Thank you
# 16,371:
11:02 pm PST, Nov 11,Kimberly Coates, California
# 16,370:
8:32 am PST, Nov 11,Elizabeth Jarrell, Ohio
# 16,369:
9:16 pm PST, Nov 9,Devon Watson, Colorado
# 16,368:
10:16 am PST, Nov 9,M Whiting, Florida
# 16,367:
5:37 am PST, Nov 9,Thomas Costello, New Jersey
# 16,366:
10:49 am PST, Nov 8,Barbara C Godman, Michigan
# 16,365:
4:50 pm PST, Nov 7,Helen A. Spalding, Ohio
When we came to Washington to lobby against the Part D Medicare legislation, we were told that a bad bill was better than no bill, and that we could "fix" it later. It is later. It is time to fix the "donut hole" in Part D.
The original legislation was designed by and for the drug companies, not the Medicare recipient. Please vote to close the gaps in medical coverage, including the "donut hole" in medicare. Thank you in advance for your support.
# 16,364:
12:32 pm PST, Nov 7,Joseph Braus, California
# 16,363:
7:38 am PST, Nov 7,Matt Wilhelm, California
# 16,362:
9:51 pm PST, Nov 6,Name not displayed, Alaska
I think that the people who decide the healthcare for the rest of the world shouldn't be receiving free healthcare so that is is properly thought out.
# 16,361:
1:12 pm PST, Nov 5,Jean Kozel, Pennsylvania
# 16,360:
4:08 pm PST, Nov 4,Name not displayed, South Dakota
# 16,359:
12:36 pm PST, Nov 4,Bryan Johns, Washington
# 16,358:
8:32 am PST, Nov 4,Gloria Gorka, Michigan
# 16,357:
6:19 am PST, Nov 4,Addys Delgado, Florida
# 16,356:
8:49 pm PST, Nov 3,Beth Landrum, Kansas
# 16,355:
11:10 pm PST, Nov 2,Sharon Bagherpour, Texas
I am in that "doughnut hole" just two of my prescriptions were almost FOUR hundred dollars!! And I have three more that total approx. seventy -five dollars . My disability check is $705. So I will be taking less of my prescriptions than my doctor recommends to make them stretch. Please close this hole!!!
# 16,354:
4:39 pm PST, Nov 1,Olga Azovsky, New York
# 16,353:
4:26 pm PST, Nov 1,Name not displayed, Michigan
Enough is enough. It is time to close the "Doughnut Hole".
# 16,352:
1:55 pm PST, Nov 1,Lou Spector, Virginia
# 16,351:
6:46 am PST, Nov 1,Thomas Baker, Illinois
All the world is scratching their heads wondering how it is the big fat US of A has such rotten health plans. They observe and we must admit that it is Corporate America running the show; it is not human, it is greed machine. SHOW SOME HEART.
