By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-913687.mp3
Dallas, TX – The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius came to Texas Monday to calm fears of senior citizens about healthcare reform. KERA's BJ Austin says the Secretary took questions at the Heritage Senior Center in Irving.
Secretary Sebelius' stop in Irving to talk about the Affordable Care Act is one of several she's making across the country to explain the impact of healthcare reform on senior citizens.
Sebelius: There's a lot of confusion and one of the things we're trying to do with mailings, with meetings like this, is tell people what the law changed and what it didn't change.
She says Medicare benefits will NOT change; no one loses anything they have now. The new healthcare act adds an annual wellness physical, and eliminates a co-pay for preventive screenings, such as mammograms. It also gradually closes the prescription drug donut hole. That's when seniors must pay the full amount of prescription costs that fall between two coverage levels.
Dorothy Martinez was pleased to hear that.
Martinez: My drug bill alone runs me about 750 a month. You get in the donut real quick, so mostly you're doing your drugs on your own.
This year, seniors in the donut hole are getting a 250 dollar check from the government. Secretary Sebelius says, next year, the drugs they buy in the gap will be discounted 50%. Eventually the gap will be closed.
Secretary Sebelius says Medicare Advantage and Medigap insurance could also change because some benefits now covered by the private providers will become part of traditional Medicare.
Sebelius: As some of these benefits kick into gear, we are going to work with private companies to refigure also the Medicap coverage and make it clear to people that they may not need the private coverage that they had in the first place.
In the meantime, premiums for Medigap and Medicare Advantage continue to rise. Sebelius says they're talking with the private providers about ways to bring costs down. She says her department has created a new website, healthcare.gov, which can help people make better choices about their personal healthcare costs because prices can vary greatly.
Sebelius: And you can actually look at it and see what Medicare is paying for what procedure in what hospital. We're also linking it to what's called "hospital compare", which is the national, objective report card on hospitals.
Secretary Sebelius says people need to know about their benefits and changes. She says one place to get that information is "1-800-medicare".
Additional Links
http://www.healthcare.gov/
http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/
http://www.medicare.gov/default.aspx