Budget Will Immediately Reopen Prescription Drug 'Donut Hole', Costing Current Seniors Over $10,000 by 2020

New National and State-By-State Reports Showing Devastating Local Impact on Seniors

The Democratic Policy and Communications Center (DPCC) today released new state-by-state reports that outline the devastating impact of the new Republican budget.  Instead of strengthening Medicare, the new Republican budget would end Medicare as we know it, raise the eligibility age to 67, and turn guaranteed benefits for over 45 million seniors into a voucher that will shift higher costs to seniors over time. Under the proposal, set to receive a vote in the House next week, seniors could see their out of pocket costs increase by as much as $5,900 per year. 

In addition to ending Medicare as we know it, the Republican budget would also force millions of current seniors across the country back into the prescription drug "donut hole," costing them more than $10,000 over the next 10 years.  A county-by-county breakdown of what seniors saved in prescription drug costs in 2012 can be found here.  Seniors would lose all of that money out of their pockets if the GOP budget was enacted into law.

National Report Highlights:

• Over 45 million Americans who are in 47-56 "near retirement" age group would be forced onto health care "vouchers" when they retire, starting in 2023.

• The Republican plan could increase out-of-pocket health care costs for a typical 67 year-old senior by $5,900.

• Nationwide, over 3.2 million seniors saved more than $2.1 billion in prescription drug costs last year.  The GOP budget would eliminate those savings in the years to come. 

• Over 35 million seniors could pay more for preventative services this year.

State By State Fact Sheets:

Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Nevada
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
West Virginia
Wyoming