The Affordable Care Act strengthens Medicare and helps beneficiaries take charge of their health. The law provides important benefits such as free preventive services, free annual wellness visits, and discounts and better coverage for prescription drugs for Medicare recipients in the coverage gap known as the “donut hole.”
Between 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was enacted and 2015, the number of people who are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans is expected to increase by 42 percent to an all-time high.
Medicare remains strong and beneficiaries will continue to be covered through the program. Whether through Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan, they’ll still have the same benefits and security they have now: they do not need to enroll in the Health Insurance Marketplace. Medicare is not part of the Marketplace.
In Montana in 2015:
98.8% of people with Medicare have access to a Medicare Advantage plan
13 Medicare Advantage plans available
30 Medicare Prescription Drug Plans available
100% of people with Part D have access to a plan with lower premium than what they paid in 2014
26% of people with Medicare Part D get Extra Help (also called the low-income subsidy, or LIS)
$15.70 is the lowest monthly premium for a prescription drug plan
Plan costs and coverage change each year, so everyone with Medicare should check to make sure their plan still meets their health needs and budget. There may be a Medicare health or drug plan available with better coverage or a lower premium in 2015.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more people with Medicare are seeing reduced costs – through both discounts on brand-name drugs in the Medicare Part D “donut hole” and a provision in the law that makes preventive services like mammograms and other cancer screenings available for free. In 2014, 61,248 people in Montana with Original Medicare took advantage of at least one preventive service without cost-sharing through July 2014. People with Medicare in Montana have saved an overall $30,346,218 on prescription drugs in the Medicare Part D donut hole since 2010 as a result of the Affordable Care Act.
Important Dates in 2015
September
Medicare beneficiaries should watch their mailboxes for the “Medicare & You” 2015 handbook and for information from their current health or drug plan about changes they will see in 2014.
October
Medicare Open Enrollment begins October 15.
Beneficiaries should watch their mail for notices from Medicare with information about changes in 2015.
Beneficiaries can compare plans at http://www.medicare.gov starting October 1.
December
Medicare Open Enrollment ends December 7.
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