More widely unreported good news about Obamacare

It’s about time we started to hear some good news about the Affordable Care Act and the entire healthcare bill fought for so hard by so many.  So far all we have been able to hear is negativity and even though it may go quite far in helping with ratings, it does nothing for those who are actually affected by it.  It is a good thing but it is also a limited thing because only a small percentage of those affected may be ever able to explain it and those who we depend on to bring us the news may never find this.

It’s an article by Mark Jewell, Associated Press Personal Finance Writer titled Retiree health cost estimate falls, for a change which reports “rising health care costs are a given. But for the first time in 10 years, the outlook is improving for new retirees wondering whether they'll be able to pay their medical bills throughout their retirements.  A 65-year-old couple retiring this year will need $230,000, on average, to cover medical expenses in retirement, according to a study to be released Thursday by Fidelity Investments.  That's down 8 percent from the $250,000 projection the Boston-based financial services company made a year ago. That's notable because the total had risen each year since Fidelity made its initial calculation of $160,000 in 2002. Annual increases have averaged 6 percent.  Fidelity attributes its optimism to President Obama's year-old health care overhaul, which will reduce many seniors' out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs. Although its focus is expanding health care access to people under age 65, the law also will benefit many retirees by gradually closing what's known as the 'doughnut hole' coverage gap in the Medicare drug benefit.”  "We expect that trend to continue when we look to 2012 and beyond," said Sunit Patel, a senior vice president for benefits consulting at Fidelity.”  “Under the new law, the gap will be gradually eliminated by 2020. When the changes are complete, seniors will just pay the regular 25 percent cost sharing for all their medications.”

There is an old adage which reads “all good things come in time” and this is a good thing but we are sometimes poisoned by this “immediate gratification syndrome” which effects us in a way that do not allow patience.  As I am sure that one can search to find someone who will step in front of a camera and degrade this information, that same person will either not be the ones benefitting from it or pretending not to be but that will be their row to hoe.