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The 2010 Medicare Part D $250 Donut Hole Rebate
This is archive material for research purposes. Please see PDPFinder.com or MAFinder.com for current plans.
In 2010, as part of the Affordable Care Act's efforts to close the Medicare Part D Coverage Gap or Donut Hole (the portion of a Medicare prescription drug plan where the Medicare beneficiary is 100% responsible for their medication costs), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services automatically sent a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate check to each Medicare Part D plan member who reached their prescription drug plan's Donut Hole (or "Doughnut Hole").

If you would like to read more about the 2010 $250 Donut Hole Rebate, then you can click here to go to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

If you still have a question we missed, please click here to send us an email.



Can I still qualify for the Medicare Part D $250 Doughnut rebate?

Unfortunately, the $250 Donut Hole rebate was only offered in 2010. The good news is that, starting in 2011, if you reach your Medicare Part D plan's Donut Hole or Coverage Gap you will receive an automatic 50% discount on your brand name drugs or a 7% discount on generic medications that are covered by your Medicare prescription drug plan's formulary.

You can click here to read more about the Donut Hole discount.




How many Medicare beneficiaries reached the 2010 Donut Hole and were sent a $250 Medicare Part D Donut Hole Rebate check?

Around 3.8 million Medicare beneficiaries reached their 2010 Donut Hole or Coverage Gap and received a $250 rebate check. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services listed the actual number of people who received a $250 Medicare Part D Donut Hole rebate checks: 3,756,677 -- with a total cost of: $939,169,250.

You can click here to read more about the number of people who reached the 2010 Donut Hole portion of their Medicare Part D prescription drug plans.




Who was eligible to receive the $250 Donut Hole rebate check?

All seniors and Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in a 2010 Medicare Part D prescription drug plan . . . and who did not receive any financial Extra-Help, . . . automatically received the tax-free $250 rebate check once they reach the 2010 Doughnut Hole portion of their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage (or their Medicare Advantage plan that provided prescription drug coverage, also known as MA-PDs).

Again, if you received any financial "Extra Help" with your 2010 Medicare Part D plan, you were not eligible for the $250 Donut Hole rebate. (For instance, you were eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.) In addition, even if you received only partial financial "Extra Help" in 2010, you were not eligible for the $250 Rebate. (For instance, you did not qualify for Medicaid because of your financial resources, but you received some financial assistance to help pay for your Medicare Part D plan.)

You can click here to read more about the Medicare Part D Extra Help or Low Income Subsidy program.





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