The coverage gap in Medicare Part D will shrink by about 40% for beneficiaries who land in the "doughnut hole" this year because of provisions in the federal health reform law, according to data provided by CMS' Office of the Actuary. Without provisions in the federal health reform law, the average beneficiary who reached the coverage gap would have spent $1,504 this year on prescription drugs. However, provisions in the overhaul reduced that figure to $901.