The Biden administration recently took two important steps to preserve health care coverage for millions of Americans. First, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reversed course on its non-defense of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and notified the U.S. Supreme Court of its change in stance. Second, the administration asked the […]
This week, Medicare Rights joined over 20 nonprofit and advocacy organizations in the launch of a new coalition, Stop the Wait. The group is dedicated to eliminating harmful Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) coverage gaps. Currently, after waiting an average of 18 months to qualify for SSDI, most […]
The coronavirus public health emergency has created new challenges for everyone, especially older adults and people with chronic health conditions. The Medicare Rights Center has been responding to the needs of people with Medicare and their families without interruption since the pandemic began. Over the last year, thousands of people have turned […]
On its own, the Medicare Rights Center counsels thousands of people with Medicare each year on its national helpline. Medicare Rights maximizes its impact by also providing trainings and educational resources for local Medicare counselors in all 50 states. These counselors work and volunteer for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs […]
In December, key provisions of the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act were signed into law as part of a comprehensive legislative package. The enacted policies are a long sought, signature initiative of the Medicare Rights Center. They will update Medicare enrollment rules for the first time in over […]
Medicare’s Fall Open Enrollment Period (OEP) can be a stressful time for people with Medicare. This year, the Medicare Rights Center’s national helpline provided critical Fall OEP counseling and assistance to clients, with counselors providing all services virtually from their homes due to the coronavirus public health emergency. Between October […]
This week, the Legal Action Center released a report identifying gaps in Medicare’s coverage of common and recommended treatments for substance use disorders compared to private insurance and Medicaid.
Historically, Medicare has done significant work in reducing racial and ethnic disparities in health status and access to health care, including driving the desegregation of America’s hospital systems in the 1960s. However, as a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation demonstrates, that work remains incomplete. Not only do racial and ethnic disparities persist, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated them.
Last week, Medicare Rights sent a sign-on letter from 50 state and national organizations to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), urging the agencies to reinstate important COVID-19 related Medicare enrollment flexibilities. As previously discussed, this is necessary […]
A new research paper demonstrates that cost-sharing in Medicare’s prescription drug program causes people to avoid care, to the detriment of their health. This finding builds upon previous research showing that higher cost-sharing causes patients to cut back on both high-value and low-value care. As policymakers seek to curtail health […]
