Issues and Action
What's New
Part D premiums will remain mostly unchanged in 2011, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The average monthly premium for Medicare prescription drug plans will be $30 in 2011, compared to $29 in 2010. CMS anticipates that the majority of Medicare consumers will be able to find plans with premiums that are the same or less expensive than what they are paying in 2010.
Read this story and more in the latest issue of Medicare Watch, our policy newsletter.
Issues We're Working On
Eliminate Waiting Period for People with Disabilities
After proving they are permanently disabled and cannot work, people with disabilities must currently wait two years before they can receive the health coverage they need. These people should be eligible for Medicare as soon as they receive their Social Security Disability Benefits.
WHAT'S NEW
People under 65 who have Medicare as a result of a disability are more likely to experience difficulties in accessing and paying for care, according to a study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and published in Health Affairs.
Fix the Part D Drug Benefit
Medicare Part D is broken. People with Medicare who reach the coverage gap or "doughnut hole," the time when they must pay the full price of their prescription drugs, often stop taking their medication, skip doses or split pills. Older adults and people with disabilities deserve stable, affordable prescription drug coverage.
WHAT'S NEW
The Medicare Rights Center wrote a letter to Congresswoman Kilroy and Congressman Thornberry thanking them for their introduction of the Part D Off-Label Prescription Parity Act.
Read the letter.
Reform the Medicare Private Health Plan Marketplace
Medicare private health plans, also known as Medicare Advantage plans, are more expensive than the government-run Original Medicare program. As a result, private insurance companies have rushed to grab a piece of the Medicare pie, and consumer and marketing fraud have become rampant.
If costs of the private plans were brought to the same level as that of Original Medicare, taxpayers would save $150 billion over the next ten years!
WHAT'S NEW
Medicare Rights released a report on why consumers disenroll from Medicare private health plans. The report calls for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to release a national disenrollment survey that contains plan-specific data on consumers' reasons for disenrolling. Read the report.
Make Low-income Assistance More Accessible
Everyone with Medicare, regardless of income, should be able to get the care and benefits they need.
Applications for financial assistance should be made easier to complete; asset tests should be eliminated; and the application process should be streamlined to allow someone who enrolls in one program to be automatically enrolled in all other programs for which he or she qualifies.
WHAT'S NEW
Medicare Rights Center released a preliminary report on state implementation of reforms to Medicare Savings Programs that are required under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008. Read the report.
Improve the Government's Medicare Counseling and Consumer Education Programs
As Medicare becomes more complex, consumers' confusion and frustration are increasing as well. People with Medicare need clear and understandable information now more than ever. The principal source of information—1-800-Medicare—provides poor service and unreliable information at a high cost, while community-based organizations better suited to provide one-on-one counseling do not have the tools or resources they need.
CMS needs to overhaul its counseling and consumer education programs to meet the needs of people with Medicare.
WHAT'S NEW
Medicare Rights provided comments on CMS's Medicare & You Handbook for 2011. Read the comments.