By Ryan Rudominer with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee – This week, thanks to health insurance reform, seniors who fall into the infamous donut hole in their Medicare coverage will start to receive rebate checks to cover the cost of their prescription drugs. But if Republican Charles Djou succeeds in his push to repeal the new law, that donut hole would re-open, causing Hawaii’s seniors to fall right back in.
“This week, seniors falling into the Medicare donut hole start to get rebate checks to cover the cost of their prescription drugs, but if Charles Djou has his way, Hawaii’s seniors would go right back to having to pay their prescription costs out of their own pockets” said Andy Stone of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “More than ever, Hawaii’s seniors need a leader who looks out for them, not Charles Djou who wants to repeal these new consumer protections and go back to the days of protecting big health insurance company profits instead.”
Background
- Charles Djou has signed a pledge to repeal health insurance reform. [Repeal It Pledge]
- Each year about 8 million seniors fall into a gap in Medicare coverage, known as the Medicare donut hole and are forced to pay their drug costs in full out-of pocket. [The Hill; 5/27/10]
- Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the federal government would start sending out the first $250 rebate checks on June 10 to Medicare beneficiaries caught by the so-called “doughnut hole.” [The Hill; 5/27/10]
- Health Insurance Reform legislation passed the House of Representatives on Sunday, March 21, 2010 [H.R. 3590, #165, 3/21/10] [H.R. 4872, #167, 3/21/10] will improve Medicare for seniors, including closing the prescription drug donut hole.