Posted on December 16th, 2019 Armando Trull Media Relations Manager 202-709-2474 armando.trull@ncoa.org
Inaction would
trigger drug cost increases for Medicare beneficiaries with the highest
expenses
Arlington, VA (December 16, 2019) — Seventy-one diverse national organizations representing
millions of older adults, people with disabilities, patients, and providers are
joining the National Council on Aging (NCOA) in urging Congress to take action
this week to prevent scheduled Medicare prescription drug cost increases and
extend critical expiring protections for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
“People with Medicare who have the highest prescription drug
out-of-pocket costs were trusting that Congress would help them by enacting legislation
into law to lower those costs this year,” said Howard Bedlin, NCOA Vice President for Policy
and Advocacy. “In fact, they will be surprised, disappointed, and harmed to
learn that their costs will actually go up if Congress does not stop an
increase in the Medicare Part D catastrophic coverage eligibility threshold
scheduled for January 1, 2020.”
Under Medicare Part D, once beneficiaries hit an annual
prescription drug cost threshold, they can access catastrophic coverage that
reduces their drug cost sharing from 25% to 5%. This threshold is scheduled to
jump by an unprecedented $1,250 in 2020 (from $5,100 to $6,350), affecting over
1 million people with Medicare. According to initial estimates, this means that
Medicare beneficiaries with the highest drug costs would have to pay an
additional $2 billion for their medications next year.
NCOA, which has advocated for the rights of older Americans to
age with dignity and economic security for the past seven decades, is joined by
59 other organizations in urging Congress to take action on this issue, as well
as other improvements for Americans with Medicare or Medicaid in the health
“extenders” package that Congress is expected to consider on December 20.
Specifically, the groups are calling for Congress to:
·
Make permanent the successful
Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Money Follows the Person program and
Spousal Impoverishment protections, which help people remain with their
families at home and in the community, rather than in expensive institutions.
·
Extend and increase funding for
national and community efforts to find and enroll eligible low-income Medicare
beneficiaries into programs that help pay their prescription and health care
costs.
·
Modernize and simplify the Medicare
Part B enrollment process.
·
Extend current enhanced Medicaid
funding in U.S. territories, which is scheduled to expire.
“NCOA believes this legislation is the right and fair thing to
do to address the needs of Americans who depend on these benefits and programs.
We urge our elected leaders to take action this week to make essential Medicare
and Medicaid services more affordable and available to seniors and people with
disabilities in need,” Bedlin said.
Read the group’s letter to Congressional leaders here.
About NCOA
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national
leader working to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, our
mission has not changed: Improve the lives of millions of older adults,
especially those who are struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best
solutions to improve their own health and economic security—and we strengthen
government programs that we all depend on as we age. Every year, millions of
people use our signature programs BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and
the Aging Mastery Program® to age well. By offering online tools and
collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, NCOA is working to improve
the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.
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