Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi may be fighting to repeal President Obama's healthcare reform laws in court, but the new laws have already saved Floridians close to $142 million, and most of the laws haven't even gone into effect yet. The savings come from Medicare recipients who now pay less for their prescription drugs. Bondi however wants the laws voided as soon as possible.
Here's a portion of a press release sent out today by the Department of Health and Human Services:
238,362 Florida residents with Medicare saved $141,948,339 on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the Affordable Care Act, according to data issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Savings for people with Medicare will increase over time. According to a new report issued today from HHS, the average person with Medicare will save nearly $4,200 by 2021 because of the new law.Meanwhile, Florida's own attorney general Pam Bondi, a former Fox News contributor, has been one of the leading voices to repeal the entirety of the Affordable Care Act.
"The Affordable Care Act is already saving money for millions of Americans with Medicare," said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "As we move forward, we will close the donut hole completely and save even more money for everyone with Medicare."
After replacing Bill McCollum, she spearheaded the Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services case in which U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson declared the entirety of the law unconstitutional. His decision is of course being appealed, but in Vinson's ruling he argued that all provisions of the bill must be repealed. That includes the provisions that have now saved Floridians $142 million in a single year. Pam Bondi applauded and defended the ruling.
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