This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to improve and update the Medicare Plan Finder (MPF) and the Health Plan Management System (HPMS). HPMS is the system that Medicare Advantage and Part D plans use to provide data about their plan offerings to Medicare, and the MPF is the […]
A new AARP survey of adults age 50 and older shows overwhelming opposition to Medicare and Social Security benefit cuts. While only 3% of respondents said the federal budget deficit is “not a problem at all,” 85% “strongly oppose” reducing earned Medicare and Social Security benefits to help pay for it. This […]
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Trump and Biden administrations have created numerous waivers of payment policies to help ensure people with Medicare retain their access to care despite the pandemic. One of the more recent additions is the Waiver for Ground Ambulance Services: Treatment in Place that allows […]
In early 2020, Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added temporary telehealth flexibilities to Medicare to help beneficiaries safely obtain needed services during the pandemic. The legislative and administrative updates broadened Medicare telehealth coverage in a number of ways. From expanding the list of allowable services […]
This week, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights announced that a ban on sex discrimination in health care includes a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a reversal of a Trump-era policy, bringing the Biden administration more […]
On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated COVID-19 vaccination education, uptake, and reporting policies for Medicaid and Medicare Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities serving people with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF-IID). The interim final rule with comment period (IFC) revises the infection control standards the […]
Today, the Medicare Rights Center submitted comments to the Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in response to proposed changes to an important privacy rule. The rule, which clarifies and implements the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), is a vital protection against misuse or improper […]
On May 4, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on drug pricing legislation, including the recently reintroduced provisions of the Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act (H.R. 3). Medicare Rights submitted a statement for the hearing record in support of this important […]
