This week, Medicare Rights submitted comments in response to a proposed rule from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that would set a dangerous precedent by treating health care sharing ministries (HCSMs) as medical insurance for tax purposes.

On August 7, a group of 26 Senators asked the Trump administration to ease access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the letter urges immediate enrollment improvements to Medicare and to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) federally run marketplace. This includes establishing Special Enrollment Periods (SEP) that would help people more quickly connect with their coverage.

There is clear evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn are causing millions of Americans to lose not only their jobs but also their employment-based health insurance. What’s less well known is how many of these workers are remaining uninsured, and how many are shifting to other coverage—such as a spouse’s plan, Medicaid, or Medicare. Federal data on these changes will not be available until next year. In the interim, a new Families USA analysis seeks to partially fill this information gap.

This week, the Commonwealth Fund released a report that summarizes and analyzes the over 200 temporary legislative and regulatory changes that have been made to Medicare in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. They also looked at the sub-regulatory guidance that the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released to interpret these rules and to provide additional flexibility to providers and Medicare plans.

Work on the next coronavirus relief bill is underway. U.S. House and Senate leaders are negotiating the size and scope of the final legislation, as well as specific policy items.

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees the Medicare program, released more data showing the impact of COVID-19 on people with Medicare. As with previous data, this information confirms that communities of color and people who are enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid or who have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are disproportionately affected by the virus.

The Medicare Rights Center appreciates the potential for Medicare telehealth expansions to increase access to care. We have long supported allowing Medicare beneficiaries to obtain critical behavioral health services, including some furnished by opioid treatment programs, remotely—regardless of where they live and from their own home.

Fall is quickly approaching, meaning more and more schools and parents must decide whether to resume in-person classes amid the continued COVID-19 public health emergency. Importantly, because these choices will have implications for students, school employees, families, and communities, they will require a careful balancing of factors.

Yesterday, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously advanced the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (H.R. 2477). Next steps for the bill include consideration by the full House.

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that oversees the Medicare program, released information on the use of Medicare telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency.