Senate budget deal benefits insurers at the expense of sick seniors
“On Wednesday, the Senate announced its two-year budget deal. It contains a healthcare provision that many are touting as a victory for seniors. The reform aims to close the so-called ‘donut hole’ coverage gap in the Medicare Part D drug benefit by shifting more of the program’s costs to drug companies. But that provision is a gift to insurers, not to patients. The policy could end up raising costs for seniors on Part D, some of our most vulnerable patients. It must be eliminated from the deal.”