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Time to make the doughnuts: Seniors deal with hole in drug coverage

Case Management Weekly, July 12, 2006

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Six months into the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, many beneficiaries are approaching the "doughnut hole" period of coverage. The doughnut hole is the gap in coverage in which beneficiaries must cover 100% of their medication costs between $2,250 and $5,100. According the Los Angeles Times, about 3.4 million seniors are approaching the doughnut hole portion of their benefit.

Most of the beneficiaries affected are middle-class seniors with multiple chronic illnesses, and some have already experienced a surge in prescription costs, the Times reports.

Part D continues to be a political issue, with Republicans maintaining that beneficiaries can enroll in plans that cover the doughnut hole, while Democrats suggesting the coverage gap can be closed if Medicare had permission to negotiate with drug manufactures.

Source:Los Angeles Times; California Healthline

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