We appreciate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releasing this Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) which contains thoughtful explorations of the causes of high drug spending in Medicare Part B drug coverage. CMS acknowledges that Medicare and its beneficiaries pay more for their drugs in general than […]

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) created important opportunities for unand underinsured people to gain affordable health coverage. This has proven especially vital for people who are approaching Medicare eligibility. Those between ages 55 and 64 made up around 26% of Marketplace enrollees in 2015, nearly 3.3 million […]

The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulation to Require Drug Pricing Transparency (CMS-4787-P). Medicare Rights is a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and […]

The “public charge” assessment allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review an immigrant’s request to enter the United States or to get a green card to determine if they are likely to become primarily dependent on government benefit programs. Currently, this assessment includes only the receipt of cash […]

The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Regulatory Provisions to Promote Program Efficiency, Transparency, and Burden Reduction (CMS-3346-P). Medicare Rights is a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with […]

The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG’s) Medicare Anti-Kickback Statute and Beneficiary Inducements CMP Request for Information. Medicare Rights is a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people […]

The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) appreciates the opportunity to comment on “Healthy Michigan.” Medicare Rights is a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives. Medicare Rights provides […]

The Medicaid program, now in its 53rd year, is a success story. Through Medicaid, millions of low-income Americans have built well-being and gained greater economic security via access to health insurance coverage. This coverage has guaranteed health care to those who are unable to find work, whose employers or job […]

The comments that follow are informed by our experience assisting people as they navigate the Medicare program. We discuss the importance of including the beneficiary perspective in efforts to create a patient-centered health care system that promotes value and that preserves and bolsters the consumer protections that are at the […]

This finalized guidance for Medicare communications and marketing guidelines has undergone a complete revision from previous years, including a major reorganization. This reorganization improves the readability and logical progression of the guidelines and is much appreciated. However, it is greatly disappointing that the guidelines do not mention the new flexibilities […]