Introduction and Summary
The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) is a national, nonprofit consumer service 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. In 2020 and 2021, Medicare Rights staff and volunteers addressed nearly 42,000 questions and issues through the organization’s national consumer helpline and professional email channel. In addition, Medicare Rights’ free and independent online reference tool Medicare Interactive (MI), designed to help older adults and people with disabilities navigate the complex world of health insurance, answered more than 5.5 million questions for beneficiaries, their caregivers, and professionals. This report features select helpline trends and highlights the most commonly sought helpline and Medicare Interactive answers, providing a glimpse into the information and coverage needs of Medicare beneficiaries and their families in 2020 and 2021.
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.
You can help protect and strengthen Medicare by taking action on the important issues we are following, subscribe to newsletter alerts, or follow along on social media. Any way you choose to get involved is a contribution that we appreciate greatly.
CELEBRATING
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.
