WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Charles Schumer announced federal health care reform Tuesday which will save New York senior citizens approximately $2.2 billion in prescription drug savings over the next decade.

According to Schumer, the reform will address the coverage gap, known as Medicare Part D’s “doughnut hole,” which forced an estimated 244,402 New York seniors to pick up 100 percent of their prescription drug costs once they had exceeded the $2,800 covered by Medicare Part D.

The reform, which went into effect Jan. 1, will save approximately 850 Chenango County seniors an estimated $7,739,605.

“This doughnut hole will no longer be a thorn in the side of New York’s cash-strapped seniors,” stated Schumer. “Starting this week, fewer seniors will have to choose between paying for prescription drugs and paying for food, and between being healthy and being warm.”