Can the Medicare "Donut Hole" Affect Kidney Patients? The short answer to this question is "maybe". The longer answer reveals that the gap affects some Medicare recipients more than others. A closer look will help to explain the reason why these two answers are different and how your patient may be affected. What is it? The "donut hole" is a gap in prescription drug coverage under Medicare. This gap begins when a person reaches a predetermined amount during the year based on average retail cost of drugs. In 2011 the gap begins when a person spends $2840 in actual out of [...]