newjerseynewsroom.com

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Medicare Thursday began mailing seniors $250 ‘donut hole' checks and as many as 109,000 New Jerseyans are expected to receive them.

Under the recently enacted federal health reform law, seniors who fall in the donut hole coverage gap in 2010 will receive this one-time tax-free rebate check. The checks will continue to be mailed monthly over the next several months as seniors enter the coverage gap.

The checks are described by the Obama administration as the first benefit from health reform for seniors in the Medicare Prescription Drug program. Beginning in January, seniors in the donut hole will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. By 2020, the donut hole is expected to be closed.

"This is the first example of how the health care reform law will strengthen Medicare and help seniors," Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) said in announcing the mailings. "In the past, seniors who have fallen into the Medicare donut hole were forced to choose between food and prescriptions. Health reform is fixing these problems. Important reforms like this will continue to phase in throughout the year and make health care more affordable and accessible for millions of New Jersey's seniors."

The ‘donut hole' coverage gap is the period in the prescription drug benefit -- once their prescription drug costs exceed $2,830 -- in which the beneficiary pays 100 percent of the cost of their drugs until they hit the catastrophic coverage threshold.

Medicare recipients don't have to do anything to get the $250 check - once their drug costs for the year hit $2,830 the check will be issued.

While citing the new benefit, Democrats in Washington are also quick to point out that Republicans, including Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th) and Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) have advocated for the repeal of health insurance reform. Last month House Republicans introduced legislation that would do that.

Democrats argue that recent polling shows Republicans are on the wrong side of the issue. They point out that in a May 10 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 55 percent of Americans said they would be more likely to support a candidate who would "give the law a chance to work and make changes as needed," while 42 percent would be more likely to support a candidate who would repeal it entirely.

Seniors who want to learn more about the new benefit may call 1-800-Medicare, visit www.medicare.gov, or contact the State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) 1-800-792-8820 http://www.state.nj.us/health/senior/ship.shtml