Report: Health Care Reform Saved Johnston Seniors $252,000 Last Year

Click on any point on the interactive map to see the average savings per region.

Senior citizens living in Johnston were spared more than $252,000 in prescription drug costs thanks to a provision in the sweeping health care legislation signed into law last year, U.S. Sen Sheldon Whitehouse said.

Data released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services indicates that 481 Johnston residents recieved discounts for prescription drugs averaging $524 last year, sparing them significant expenses that ordinarily would not be covered by Medicare or Medicaid, known as the so-called "doughnut hole."

“As I travel around the state, I've heard countless stories about Rhode Islanders affected by the dreaded Medicare Part D doughnut hole,” Whitehouse said.  “Far too many seniors are forced to choose between taking their medication and putting food on the table or paying their bills.  I’m pleased that so many Rhode Islanders received prescription drug discounts as a result of closing the doughnut hole, and I’m going to continue to fight to lower drug prices.”

The doughnut hole required seniors to pay for the full cost of their prescription drug expenses after their drug spending reached $2,930. Coverage didn't resume until spending totaled $6,657 for the year, which Whitehouse described as "a high threshold for seniors on low, fixed incomes."

Last year and this year, patients who fell into the doughnut hole in 2011 receive a 50 percent discount on all brand name drugs.

A total of 14,822 Rhode Islanders received discounts because of the 2011 law, for a total savings of $8.2 million. Advocates of the health care reform bill say the savings is money that will now be spent in the local economy instead of on prescription drugs.

Whitehouse is soliciting stories about the closing of the doughnut hole from people who have been affected by the health care legislation. To tell your story, click HERE.