The following is a statement by Joe Baker, president of the New York-based Medicare Rights Center, regarding today's historic decision:
The Affordable Care Act brings real benefits to tens of millions of people, and the Supreme Court's decision ensures improved access to health care for people with Medicare and their families.
In upholding the law, the Court has made certain that millions of people with Medicare will continue to see billions of dollars in savings on prescription drugs through the closure of the Part D doughnut hole and have ongoing access to preventive care services at no out-of-pocket cost.
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As a result of the ACA, which was signed into law in March 2010, over 5.2 million Medicare beneficiaries have saved more than $3.7 billion on prescription drugs to date, and 32.5 million people with Medicare accessed preventive services, including mammograms, prostate cancer screenings and the annual wellness visit in 2011 alone.
Additionally, the ACA has already brought federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans more in line with costs under Original Medicare and has improved the financial health of the Medicare program, putting Medicare in a stronger position to serve older adults and people with disabilities in the future.
The Supreme Court's decision means that seniors and people with disabilities will be able to look forward to the law's future benefits, including closure of the Medicare Part D doughnut hole by 2020; a new requirement that Medicare Advantage plans use at least 85 percent of revenues on beneficiaries' medical services rather than overhead and salaries; and increased solvency of the Medicare Hospital Trust Fund for an additional 8 years, until 2024.
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