New Help For Medicare Beneficiaries

Americans are aways concerned about their health care, especially Medicare recipients and the government has recently started to take steps to help anyone experiencing problems with the new Afford Care Act. The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services along with the Administer Donald M. Berwick and MD stated in a recent press release that "Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, seniors are getting cheaper prescription drugs and free preventive care."

The U.S. has always had a host of fitness gurus, celebrities and medical doctors with their own prime time TV shows and the same message, "prevention" is the key to getting and staying healthy, yet the message fails to resonate with those who really need to stay healthy, seniors. They have yet to be able to get preventive health care through Medicare. The Affordable Care Act for those on Medicare finally have access to many preventative services, which ups Medicare game in taking care of seniors. Medicare is starting to provide patients with preventative screenings that include diabetes and some cancer screenings and has taken steps to help people stop smoking.

No one would argue that the cost of prescription drugs is on the increase and according the a press release from CMS, the Affordable Care Act, this year alone, will save an estimated $1.2 billion on prescription medications for seniors entitled to these benefits. CMS estimates that this equates to each individual saving $550 and this savings is significant.

CMS, according to its research is reporting that the average cost of living Social Security increase is much more that the average increasing cost of a doctor's visit. The calculations reveal that less than ten percent of the monthly payment increase for social security recipients will actually go toward their doctor visits under the covered Medicare part B plan and this should be exciting news for them.

Medicare Part D has continue using its doughnut hole philosophy to slowly close the gap of coverage, and are up to fifty percent coverage on brand name prescription drugs. Many think that Medicare is being unfair, but when you look at the numbers of the past years, the coverage limit has gone up nearly thirty percent, while the deductible has only increased by $70, so the extra money entitles beneficiaries to an addition $680 in initial coverage, and over an addition $1500 in prescription drug coverage (numbers from 2006 to present). While it may seems that Medicare is doing less and less for it beneficiaries, it is doing a lot to make up for the losses that people are experiencing, by offering what it can without losing its assets.