Medicare Rights Center Submits Ideas to Transform Medicare Advantage and Part D

This week, the Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) responded to a request from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on how to strengthen the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D prescription drug programs.

“We are grateful for this opportunity to share recommendations with CMS about how to make the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs work even better for millions of older adults, people with disabilities, and their families, and we thank the agency for this inquiry,” said Medicare Rights President Joe Baker.

Medicare Rights’ suggestions included ways that CMS could improve beneficiary supports and education, strengthen oversight, and achieve payment accuracy in Medicare Advantage. The comments also urged CMS to take steps to promote active and informed choices. We encouraged CMS to simplify the plan-level appeals process and to engage patients and advocates in innovation. The breadth of suggestions reflects the open-ended nature of the request and our hope that the agency will embrace innovative ways to improve Medicare for beneficiaries and their families.

“Our comments come from an all-important perspective—the on-the-ground, everyday experiences of people who have Medicare and who need help navigating the system and making the most of their earned benefits. Our ideas are linked to challenges reflected in the nearly 20,000 questions asked on our helpline each year.”

Read the comments.

Read Medicare Trends and Recommendations: An Analysis of 2015 Call Data from the Medicare Rights Center’s National Helpline.