The Affordable Care Act (also called Obama Care) has reduced the costs of prescription drugs and expanded access to preventative care for seniors across the country. While the politicians have made hay, as they say, with arguing about all the downsides of the new healthcare law, the reality is that I have yet to meet a healthcare professional who will not say off the record that the new law is a step in the right direction and a must. Certainly as with anything that was sorely broken, it will take time to heal and patch up our healthcare system. Some things will need to be massaged and changed. But a geriatric doctor also told said to me once, “imagine if every senior had health insurance their entire life”. He told me that he was astonished at the number of seniors who had never had any healthcare until they turned age 65 and went onto Medicare or Medicaid. After he finished medical school and began his practice he realized that the majority of seniors with acute health issues simply had the issue because there had never been preventive care for them.
As we move into year 2014, Caregiverlist with be highlighting the good news about healthcare for seniors to make sure everyone can take advantage of innovations in health care, medications and lifestyle guidelines that can make for a happier and healthier life.
Affordable prescription drugs are vital for seniors and the new healthcare law delivers this in addition to more preventive care screenings.
FREE Preventive Care Screenings for Seniors Under Affordable Care Act Include:
- Mammograms
- Colonoscopies
- Flu Shots
- Cholesterol Screening
- Blood Pressure Screening
These preventive care tests can save lives – and over time will save money for the Medicare budget. As a result of the Affordable Care Act, Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans remain stable and strong. The Center for Medicare Services announced that the average Medicare Advantage premium in 2014 is projected to be $32.60 and the average prescription drug plan premium in 2014 is projected to be $31 per month, keeping with the same rate for the past four years.
The deductible for standard Part D plans will decline by $15 in 2014, to $310 and since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, average premiums for seniors are down by 9.8%. All good news for seniors.
Speaking of good news, apparently the happiest people on earth live in Denmark. And guess what they have that may lead to this happiness? Free healthcare and education, both provided for by their government. If you don’t have to worry about how to pay for healthcare or your college education, that takes away a couple of the largest issues we have in the U.S.A. Maybe once the new healthcare law becomes old news, we can give America’s politicians something new to argue about and ask them to find a way to pay for everyone’s college education but we’ll stick to focusing on senior care.
Plan ahead for your senior care needs and understand the costs of senior care by visiting the Caregiverilst Nursing Home Directory which includes the daily costs of a single or shared room in a nursing home along with the Medicare and Medicaid acceptance. Remember, too, as you celebrate the new year, that there continues to be a need for more senior caregivers and nursing aides so refer anyone who may be looking for a new job to the Caregiverlist Career Center.
Happy New Year!
