According to new data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday, the U.S. government has paid nearly $2.3 billion through July in incentives to close the coverage gap in 2015.
As the reforms of the Affordable Care Act continue to take hold, the so-called 'donut hole' coverage gap for the Medicare Part D drug discount program has been steadily closing as federal incentive payments give seniors a financial break when they've hit their drug spending limits.
Per beneficiary, that means CMS has paid out an average $915 per person this year tied to the 'donut hole' gap.
In total, Part D has paid out $17.7 billion in overall drug discounts in 2015 so far to its more than 2.5 million beneficiaries.
To view a map of average gap incentive changes per state, go to:
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