The undersigned organizations share a commitment to advancing the health and economic security of older adults, people with disabilities, and their families. Together, we represent the 57 million Americans who rely on Medicare for guaranteed access to health benefits. We greatly appreciate the opportunity made available by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide comments on the “Welcome to Medicare” packages, and we are writing to share our collective input on these materials.
We are committed to promoting smooth transitions to Medicare for older adults and people with disabilities newly eligible for the program. As such, we believe the primary goal of the “Welcome to Medicare” packages should be to ensure that people new to Medicare avoid the harmful pitfalls, including increased health care costs and premiums, gaps in essential health coverage, and disruptions in access to needed care, often associated with honest Medicare enrollment mistakes. To mitigate such pitfalls and to improve CMS’ existing educational content, we recommend the following:
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.
Comments on CMS “Welcome to Medicare” Packages
The undersigned organizations share a commitment to advancing the health and economic security of older adults, people with disabilities, and their families. Together, we represent the 57 million Americans who rely on Medicare for guaranteed access to health benefits. We greatly appreciate the opportunity made available by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide comments on the “Welcome to Medicare” packages, and we are writing to share our collective input on these materials.
We are committed to promoting smooth transitions to Medicare for older adults and people with disabilities newly eligible for the program. As such, we believe the primary goal of the “Welcome to Medicare” packages should be to ensure that people new to Medicare avoid the harmful pitfalls, including increased health care costs and premiums, gaps in essential health coverage, and disruptions in access to needed care, often associated with honest Medicare enrollment mistakes. To mitigate such pitfalls and to improve CMS’ existing educational content, we recommend the following:
Recent Resources
Medicare Savings Program Enrollment
Medicare Savings Program Recertification
Medicaid Renewal
Medicare-Medicaid Integration
2025 Outpatient Prospective Payment System
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.