According to an August 10, 2010 press announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 750,000 rebate checks for $250 have already been mailed to Medicare beneficiaries who have already entered the doughnut hole this year because of prescription costs. Adult children need to be sure that a parent reaching the doughnut understands the following:
Medicare.gov is a user-friendly site for seniors and adult children.
- By the end of the year about 4 million people will receive the $250 check.
- The rebate is automatically mailed to a beneficiary when the doughnut hole is reached.
- There is no requirement to sign up or give out personal information in order to receive the rebate. Listen to this recording about protecting your personal medicare information.
- If anyone unfamiliar solicits personal health or financial information, it should be reported to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov
For other important information go to Medicare.gov to read a PDF document, Closing the Prescription Drug Coverage Gap.
As Our Parents Age So Do We 