This paper is prompted by a widespread concern among advocates for older adults and people with disabilities that the low-income provisions of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) be implemented in a manner that fulfills the legislation’s goal to streamline and maximize enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs). This paper looks at two important MIPPA provisions—the increase in the MSP asset test to align with asset thresholds under the Part D low-income subsidy (LIS, also known as Extra Help) and the initiation of MSP applications through the transfer by the Social Security Administration (SSA) of income and asset data from Extra Help applicants.
Any changes to the Medicare program must aim for healthier people, better care, and smarter spending—not paying more for less. As policymakers debate the future of health care, we will provide our insights here.
Thinking ahead to Medicare's future, it’s important to modernize benefits and pursue changes that improve how people with Medicare navigate their coverage on a daily basis. Here are our evolving 30 policy goals for Medicare’s future.
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