AARP answers Minnesotans health care law questions

Minnesota adults aged 50 and over got a chance Wednesday to have some questions answered about the new health care law.

AARP held a statewide telephone town hall meeting with its members. One member asked about how Medicare will be able to save $500 billion during the next decade as the law requires.

Nora Super, AARP's national director of government relations, said it's important to put that amount in perspective.

"People hear $500 Billion and they think is just such a huge amount of money, but it actually represents, over the 10-year period, actually 6 percent of total Medicare spending," Super said. "Keep in mind that medical costs are so high in this country and there are so many people on the Medicare program that this amount of savings actually represents 6 percent of total Medicare spending."

Super also noted that people who are on Medicare's Part D prescription drug program and hit the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole this year will receive $250.