Future savings hang in balance with impending Supreme Court decision

As the Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its ruling on the Affordable Care Act later this week, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree celebrated findings that the law has saved Mainers with Medicare over $11 million since its enactment in 2010. On average, the savings amount to $550 per person this year.

"After far too long, we're finally starting to give seniors hope by closing the prescription drug donut hole. Yet this critical gain—and many others—currently hang in the balance with the Supreme Court's impending decision," said Pingree. "The $550 people on fixed incomes saved meant that they could get the medications they needed without having to sacrifice their warmth or food. Overturning this important law could have terrible consequences for them—it would be awful to see these gains reversed."

Released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today, the study found that seniors and people with disabilities have saved$11,061,851, thanks to provisions in the Affordable Care Act that offered a $250 rebate for those who hit the prescription drug "donut hole" in 2010, and deep discounts on prescriptions in 2011. If the law is upheld, these discounts will increase until 2020, when the coverage gap will no longer exist.

Pingree also announced last Friday that another provision of the Affordable Care Act—requiring insurance companies to spend 80 percent of their premiums on health care services—will lead to $2.5 million in rebates for Maine consumers this year.