Medicare Beneficiaries Whose High Prescription Drug Costs Have Put Them in the Medicare Part D Donut Hole to Receive $250 Rebate Checks as a Result of the Affordable Care Act
The next round of more than 300,000 eligible seniors who have entered the Medicare Part D “donut hole” this year have been mailed their tax-free, one time rebate check for $250. These one-time rebate checks are the first step in closing the prescription drug coverage gap under the Affordable Care Act. The first round of checks were distributed in the middle of June. As qualifying Medicare recipients “fall into the donut hole,” they will be sent a rebate check by Medicare.
The $250 checks are being mailed to those Medicare beneficiaries who entered the Medicare Part D donut hole, also known as the coverage gap, in the second quarter of 2010 and are not eligible for Medicare Extra Help (also known as the low-income subsidy or LIS) or enrolled in a qualified retiree prescription drug plan. The donut hole is the period in the prescription drug benefit in which the beneficiary pays 100 percent of the cost of their drugs until they reach the catastrophic coverage phase.
If someone asks for your personal Medicare information over the phone who isn't a trusted resource like Medicare, please don't provide it. Seniors or family members should contact us at 1-800-MEDICARE to report any of these types of calls or go to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov to learn more about efforts to fight fraud and scams against seniors.”
For more information about the “donut hole” rebate checks, please contact www.HealthCare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
For more questions about Extra Help (or the LIS) benefit under Part D, please contact the Social Security Administration at www.ssa.gov.
