kathleen_sebelius_and_wilhemmina_ford_w.jpgWEST PALM BEACH — U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius met with West Palm Beach seniors Aug. 16 to press the Obama administration’s case that the Affordable Care Act has made  Medicare stronger since it was signed into law two years ago.

Sebelius’ visit to the Area Agency on Aging/Your Aging Resource Center, 4400 N. Congress Ave., came two weeks after the 47th anniversary of the establishment of the Medicare program.

The event included a panel discussion on the benefits to seniors of what has been called “Obamacare.”

A statement from her office said Sebelius highlighted “important benefits” of the law, including providing beneficiaries with preventive health care, such as cholesterol and cancer screenings, at no additional cost, as well as a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs in the coverage gap known as the “donut hole.” 

Sebelius also called attention to provisions in the law to strengthen the fight against fraud in Medicare.  Her office said that in 2011, officials recovered nearly $4.1 billion in Medicare dollars, the highest annual amount ever recovered from individuals and companies who attempted to defraud seniors and taxpayers.

 

*Pictured above eis Secreatry Kathleen Sebelius and Wilhemina Ford