美国医疗保险或将再受打击英文稿

美国医疗保险或将再受打击英文稿

　　Medicare Donut Hole Swallows Meds

　　Medicare recipients in the so-called donut hole, where they foot the complete bill for their drugs, are twice as likely to skip meds entirely than are those who get other assistance. Katherine Harmon reports.

　　Some 50 million Americans 65 and older currently get help from Medicare. But the program doesn't cover all of a patient's medications. After a patient’s annual drug cost hits $2,800, the patient pays the rest of the tab up to another $4,500. Between three and four million people hit this so-called "doughnut hole" each year, usually in mid-August, and don't qualify for low-income assistance.

　　Advocates for this coverage gap say it encourages people to choose cheaper drugs, but Medicare recipients who hit the doughnut hole and weren't receiving extra help were twice as likely to forego at least one prescribed drug as those who got additional subsidies. And they were actually less likely to switch to cheaper options, such as generics. So finds a new study in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine.

　　[Jennifer Polinski et al, Changes in Drug Utilization during a Gap in Insurance Coverage: An Examination of the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap]

　　The 2010 health reform law reduces the amount Medicare beneficiaries shell out. But with budget debates about scaling back on entitlement programs, drug coverage might take another hit. And those cuts could mean the difference between following doctor's orders and skipping necessary meds.

　　—Katherine Harmon

【美国医疗保险或将再受打击英文稿】相关文章：

转行面试中受打击07-13

高端医疗保险为何受关注07-13

美国IT人员年薪一涨再涨07-10

关于美国或将启动投资移民配额程序07-03

2017年美国移民医疗保险攻略07-05

留学生在美国如何使用医疗保险？07-13

受退休人员基本医疗保险待遇的累计最低缴费年限07-13

医疗费用昂贵 美国留学需购买医疗保险07-13

美国会计前几的硕士在华尔街受重视吗？07-10

范冰冰登美国《时代周刊》封面 华人影星时隔9年再登封07-12