The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported Thursday nearly 20.5 million people with Medicare reviewed their health status at a free annual wellness visit or received other preventive services with no deductible or cost sharing this year.

In addition, nearly 1.8 million people with Medicare have received discounts on brand-name drugs in the Medicare Part D coverage gap, also known as the "donut hole," between January and August of this year. The total value of discounts to people with Medicare in the donut hole is nearly $1 billion through August of this year, with an average savings of $530 per beneficiary.

"Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, more people with Medicare are getting preventive services like mammograms for free," says HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The new health care law is also making prescription drugs more affordable for millions of seniors and people with disabilities."