Medicare Part D

Working in the pharmacy can have its adavantages and disadvantages. You get to meet and work with all kinds of people, which is great. One draw back, however, is that you have to deal with insurance companies on a daily basis.
One of the main insurances is Medicare Part D. This branch of Medicare coverage started in 2006, where it would help people over the age of 65 cover prescription medications. Since then, many companies like Humana and AARP have built programs and plans to help those in need.
The one draw back from this, in my opinion, would be the "doughnut hole". This is a part of the coverage where the patient has to cover 100% of the prescription cost after reaching a certain amount in prescription costs.(Usually around $3000). I find that the timing of this gap usually comes around the winter holidays when many are already struggling to pay for medications.
Don't get me wrong, Medicare Part D has helped many people who were in need before it was implimented. My question is, in the long run, has it really helped?