Romney/Ryan would nuke $4.1 billion (and counting) in Medicare prescription drug savings

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Joan McCarter
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/21/1122728/-Romney-Ryan-would-nuke-4-1-billion-and-counting-in-Medicare-prescription-drug-savings



Here's one more thing that gets obliterated by the Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan plan to get rid of the Affordable Care Act: huge savings on prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries who had been in the "donut hole."

Nearly 5.4 million seniors and people with disabilities have saved more than $4.1 billion on prescription drugs as a result of the Affordable Care Act, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today. Seniors in the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap known as the “donut hole” have saved an average of $768. During the first seven months of 2012, the new health care law has helped nearly 18 million people with original Medicare get at least one preventive service at no cost to them.

"The health care law has saved people with Medicare over $4.1 billion on prescription drugs, and given millions of beneficiaries access to cancer screenings, mammograms and other preventive services for free," said Secretary Sebelius. "Medicare is stronger thanks to the health care law, saving people money and offering new benefits at no cost to seniors."

Say goodbye to all that under the Romney/Ryan, and sooner rather than later. While they keep insisting that current beneficiaries won't be subject to cuts, they absolutely will. They'll lose free preventive care and all of those who had the donut hole closed on their drug purchases will see it open right back up.

Those are the cuts that are guaranteed to happen under Romney and Ryan. Then there are the cuts that the Romney camp has had to admit they'll have to enact to keep Medicare solvent beyond 2016—cuts that will definitely hit current beneficiaries. All the better for them, though. Weakening the program, undercutting its popularity, is key to their ultimate goal: getting rid of Medicare all together.

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