Just yesterday, I opened my mail to find a wonderful $250 check from Medicare.

This came from the Affordable Care Act, a new law passed by Congress and signed by our wonderful President Obama on March 30, 2010.

With all the negativity surrounding this healthcare bill, and the scare tactics used by some to our seniors, the reality is the Democrats are looking out for the seniors.

This rebate of $250 is sent automatically to people enrolled in Medicare Part D who reach the Medicare drug plans coverage gap (doughnut hole) in 2010.

To make the prescription drugs more affordable, the rebate check is designed to bring some needed relief to seniors and is the first step toward closing the coverage gap.

What most seniors do not know is that starting next year, seniors will get a 50 percent discount on covered brand name drugs if you reach the coverage gap and by 2020 there will be no coverage gap.

For those of you who don’t like government interference, I suggest you send these checks back to the government, give up your Medicare, since it is a government sponsored program and try doing all these things individually. Then compare your costs and see which is the lesser of the two.

I certainly am not in agreement with everything the government does; however, I do think there are some great government programs out there for seniors and we need to have the knowledge before we judge.

Thank you, President Obama, for your diligence and hard work.

Cynthia Zeldin

Peachtree City, Ga.