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Celebrating 35 years of making Medicare more accessible, affordable, and equitable!

Julie Carter

Senior Federal Policy Associate

GAO Report Finds Medicare Plan Finder Needs Significant Improvements

Medicare Plan Finder (MPF) is a primary way for people with Medicare to understand and compare their coverage choices. MPF should allow beneficiaries, caregivers, and unbiased counselors to find the coverage that best serves the needs of the individual. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) agrees with previous research on MPF that the tool has significant problems that interfere with its usefulness.

Spending and Prescribing Patterns Across Medicare, Medicaid, and Large Employer Drug Coverage

Drug prices have been in the news lately, and a timely analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation gives valuable insight into prescription drug spending across large employer plans, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D. By understanding spending and prescribing patterns across these payers, policymakers can make better decisions about lowering the cost of medications for consumers.

Coming Soon to a TV Near You: Drug Prices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees the Medicare and Medicaid programs, have put a rule in place that will change the look of television ads for prescription medications. Last week, CMS announced that most drugs that are covered by Medicare or Medicaid must soon include pricing information in their TV ads.

CMS Maintains Important Changes in Draft 2020 Medicare & You Handbook

Last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that oversees the Medicare program, released a draft version of the annual “Medicare & You” handbook that contained several glaring inaccuracies. In a significant advocacy success, Medicare Rights and our allies convinced CMS to correct these major errors and release a final 2019 handbook that was greatly improved.

New Models May Tweak how Medicare Works, but Beneficiaries Must Remain the Priority

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees the Medicare program, released information about eight new payment and delivery models this week. Five of these models, collectively known as the CMS Primary Cares Initiative, will test new ways to pay Medicare primary care and other providers while the other three would explore ways for Medicare and Medicaid to better work together to provide coverage.

CELEBRATING

YEARS

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Help us honor 35 years of making Medicare more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Sign up to receive special alerts with ways to support our 35 years of service to older adults and people with disabilities. Learn more at www.medicarerights.org/35.