10.26.10 | Scott Announces 3,640 Seniors in the Third Congressional District of Virginia Have Received “Donut Hole” Checks

October 26, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-03) lauded the release of data showing that 3,640 Medicare beneficiaries in the Third District of Virginia have already received $250 ‘donut hole' checks this year.

One of the immediate benefits of the health reform legislation signed into law in March is this assistance to seniors with high drug costs. This year, all seniors who have prescription drug expenses of $2,830 or more – and thereby enter the Medicare Part D ‘donut hole' coverage gap – are receiving a one-time tax-free $250 rebate check to assist them with drug costs before a longer-term fix takes effect next year.

Furthermore, an additional 2,560 seniors in Virginia's Third District are expected to enter the donut hole before the end of 2010 and will also be receiving the $250 check. As a result, by the end of the year, a total of 6,200 seniors in the District will have received assistance to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs.

"This is just one of the ways that the Affordable Care Act is already helping our seniors," said Rep. Scott. "I am proud to have voted in favor of this historic reform that provides immediate relief for seniors, will close the prescription drug ‘donut hole', and extend Medicare's fiscal solvency by more than a decade. When opponents of reform talk about repealing this law, they are talking about repealing important provisions such as these. That would mean taking away this much needed relief for more than 6,000 seniors in the Third District of Virginia."

The checks are being mailed out every couple of weeks and do not require the completion of any additional paperwork. Nationwide, as of October 21, 2010, more than 1.8 million seniors had received the $250 rebate check. It is estimated that by the end of the year approximately 4 million seniors across the country will have received this assistance.

For more information on how health insurance reform will help you and your family, please visit the website.