Medicare Watch Archive
Medicare Watch is a weekly newsletter that helps readers stay up-to-date on Medicare policy and advocacy developments, and learn about changes in Medicare benefits and rules. It also provides recommendations for what you can do to make Medicare better for all older adults and people with disabilities.
The most recent archived issues are linked below.
Improving Part D - Vol. 4, Issue 24; June 13, 2013
Trustees Report Shows Medicare is Not in Crisis - Vol. 4, Issue 23; June 6, 2013
Briefing Congress on Medicare - Vol. 4, Issue 22; May 30, 2013
Medicare Cost Savers We Support - Vol. 4, Issue 20; May 16, 2013
States’ Plans for Duals: How Do They Stack Up? - Vol. 4, Issue 19; May 9, 2013
Reauthorizing the Older Americans Act - Vol. 4, Issue 18; May 3, 2013
Majority of States Make Plans for Duals - Vol. 4, Issue 17; April 25, 2013
A Cost Saver We Support - Vol. 4, Issue 16; April 18, 2013
The Cost of Compromise - Vol. 4, Issue 15; April 11, 2013
Comparing Demonstrations to Integrate Care for Duals - Vol. 4, Issue 14; April 4, 2013
Insurance Executives Interviewed About Duals Demonstrations - Vol. 4, Issue 13; March 28, 2013
How Do the Budget Proposals Impact Medicare? - Vol. 4, Issue 12; March 21, 2013
Stark Contrast in House and Senate Medicare Plans - Vol. 4, Issue 11; March 14, 2013
How Sequestration Impacts Older Adults - Vol. 4, Issue 10; March 7, 2013
New Report Looks at Medigap Insurance - Vol. 4, Issue 8; February 21, 2013
Streamlining the Part D Appeals Process - Vol. 4, Issue 7; February 14, 2013
Surveying our Readers - Vol. 4, Issue 6; February 7, 2013
Strengthening Medicare for the Future - Vol. 4, Issue 5; January 31, 2013
Medicare: A Solution - Vol. 4, Issue 4; January 24, 2013
Simplifying Transitions to Medicare - Vol. 4, Issue 3; January 17, 2013
Message to Congress: Restore Medicare Drug Rebates - Vol. 4, Issue 2; January 10, 2013
Testifying and Blogging for People with Medicare - Vol. 4, Issue 1; January 3, 2013
2012
In Deficit Deal, Protect Beneficiaries - Vol. 3, Issue 48; December 20, 2012
Medicare in the Middle of the Deficit Debate - Vol. 3, Issue 47; December 13, 2012
Don't Cut Medicare Benefits–Tackle Drug Prices - Vol. 3, Issue 46; December 6, 2012
Don't Force People with Medicare to Pay More for Less - Vol. 3, Issue 45; November 29, 2012
Deficit Reducation and Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 44; November 15, 2012
Medicare: Strong and Built to Last - Vol. 3, Issue 43; November 8, 2012
Medicare Remains on Voters' Minds - Vol. 3, Issue 42; November 1, 2012
Facts About Medicare's Future - Vol. 3, Issue 41; October 25, 2012
Modeling Medicare Proposals and Reforms - Vol. 3, Issue 40; October 18, 2012
Consequences of Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age - Vol. 3, Issue 39; October 11, 2012
Medicare Vouchers Defined - Vol. 3, Issue 38; October 4, 2012
Reducing Costs for People with Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 37; September 27, 2012
Consequences of Repealing the Affordable Care Act - Vol. 3, Issue 36; September 20, 2012
Tackling Rising Health Care Costs - Vol. 3, Issue 35; September 13, 2012
Medicare Questions for the Candidates - Vol. 3, Issue 34; September 6, 2012
Concerns About Cost - Vol. 3, Issue 33; August 30, 2012
The Facts About Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 32; August 23, 2012
Getting Medicare Right - Vol. 3, Issue 31; August 16, 2012
Seeing Medicare as the Solution - Vol. 3, Issue 30; August 9, 2012
Keeping Tabs on Dual-Eligible Demonstrations - Vol. 3, Issue 29; August 2, 2012
Happy Birthday, Medicare! - Vol. 3, Issue 28; July 16, 2012
Senate Hearing Addresses Integration for Duals - Vol. 3, Issue 27; July 19, 2012
Testifying on Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 26; July 12, 2012
Health Reform's Day in Court - Vol. 3, Issue 25; June 28, 2012
The Benefits of Health Reform and the Road Ahead - Vol. 3, Issue 24; June 21, 2012
Improving Care for Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries - Vol. 3, Issue 23; June 14, 2012
The Importance of Being Covered - Vol. 3, Issue 22; June 7, 2012
Discussing Duals and the Doughnut Hole - Vol. 3, Issue 21; May 31, 2012
Finding Savings in Medicare and Medicaid - Vol. 3, Issue 20; May 24, 2012
Parsing Out the Costs of Part D - Vol. 3, Issue 19; May 17, 2012
Putting Medicare Proposals into Perspective - Vol. 3, Issue 18; May 10, 2012
Promoting Preventive Care - Vol. 3, Issue 17; May 3, 2012
What’s Going On With the Medicare Trust Fund? - Vol. 3, Issue 16; April 26, 2012
Getting Answers About Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 15; April 19, 2012
Considering the Cost to Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 14; April 12, 2012
Medicare and Plans Planning for 2013 - Vol. 3, Issue 13; April 5, 2012
Understanding What's in Store for Medicare Beneficiaries - Vol. 3, Issue 12; March 29, 2012
Ryan Budget Proposal Released - Vol. 3, Issue 11; March 22, 2012
Anticipating the End of the GEP - Vol. 3, Issue 10; March 15, 2012
Making Medicare Information More Accessible - Vol. 3, Issue 09; March 8, 2012
Showing Support for Medicare - Vol. 3, Issue 08; March 1, 2012
Figuring Out the SGR Formula - Vol. 3, Issue 07; February 23, 2012
Preventing Cuts and Anticipating Changes - Vol. 3, Issue 06; February 16, 2012
What Does Means-Testing Really Mean? - Vol. 3, Issue 05; February 9, 2012
Managing Managed Care - Vol. 3, Issue 04; February 2, 2012
Looking to Medicare’s Future - Vol. 3, Issue 03; January 26, 2012
Provider and Patient Accountability - Vol. 3, Issue 02; January 19, 2012
Dispelling More Medicare Myths - Vol. 3, Issue 01; January 12, 2012
2011
Congress Seeks Compromise - Vol. 2, Issue 47; December 22, 2011
Yet Another Voucher Proposal - Vol. 2, Issue 46; December 15, 2011
Act Now to Preserve Access - Vol. 2, Issue 45; December 8, 2011
No Deal on the Deficit - Vol. 2, Issue 44; December 1, 2011
Time to Take Action - Vol. 2, Issue 43; November 17, 2011
A Medicare Cost Worksheet - Vol. 2, Issue 42; November 10, 2011
Supercommittee Considers Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 41; November 3, 2011
A Call to Action for Congress - Vol. 2, Issue 40; October 27, 2011
The Cost of Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 39; October 20, 2011
20,000 Signatures to Save Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 38; October 13, 2011
New Rules for Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans - Vol. 2, Issue 37; October 6, 2011
A Closer Look at Deficit Reduction - Vol. 2, Issue 36; September 29, 2011
A New Plan for the Deficit - Vol. 2, Issue 35; September 22, 2011
Raising Medicare Voices - Vol. 2, Issue 34; September 15, 2011
The Supercommittee Starts Its Work - Vol. 2, Issue 33; September 8, 2011
Working Together: Medicare and Medicaid - Vol. 2, Issue 32; August 18, 2011
Deciphering the Debt Deal - Vol. 2, Issue 31; August 11, 2011
A Deal on the Debt - Vol. 2, Issue 30; August 4, 2011
Medicare Turns 46 - Vol. 2, Issue 29; July 28, 2011
A Time for Balance - Vol. 2, Issue 28; July 21, 2011
A Call to Preserve Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 27; July 14, 2011
Medicare Payment Update - Vol. 2, Issue 26; July 7, 2011
A New Medicare Proposal - Vol. 2, Issue 25; June 30, 2011
Testifying on Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 24; June 23, 2011
Containing Costs While Maintaining Access - Vol. 2, Issue 23; June 16, 2011
Striving for Patient-Centered Care - Vol. 2, Issue 22; June 9, 2011
A Plan to Cover More - Vol. 2, Issue 21; June 2, 2011
Protecting the Programs - Vol. 2, Issue 20; May 26, 2011
A Checkup for Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 19; May 19, 2011
Medicare and Medicaid: Essential Partners - Vol. 2, Issue 18; May 12, 2011
Preserving Medicare Through Payment Reform - Vol. 2, Issue 17; May 5, 2011
Decoding the House Budget - Vol. 2, Issue 16; April 28, 2011
A Boost for New Technology - Vol. 2, Issue 15; April 21, 2011
Investing in Medicare to Downsize the Deficit - Vol. 2, Issue 14; April 14, 2011
A Bad News Budget - Vol. 2, Issue 13; April 7, 2011
A Guide to Deficit-Reduction Proposals - Vol. 2, Issue 12; March 31, 2011
SPECIAL ISSUE: Health Reform, One Year Later - Vol. 2, Issue 11; March 24, 2011
A Call for Prescription Drug Parity - Vol. 2, Issue 10; March 17, 2011
An Off-Label Victory, Years in the Making - Vol. 2, Issue 9; March 10, 2011
Busting a Medicare Myth - Vol. 2, Issue 8; March 3, 2011
Rules, Ratings, and a Reminder - Vol. 2, Issue 7; February 24, 2011
A Budget for the Future - Vol. 2, Issue 6; February 17, 2011
Testifying on Health Reform - Vol. 2, Issue 5; February 10, 2011
Health Reform: We’ve Got Answers - Vol. 2, Issue 4; February 3, 2011
Introducing a New Feature - Vol. 2, Issue 3; January 27, 2011
SPECIAL ISSUE: Preserving Improvements to Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 2; January 20, 2011
Modernizing Medicare - Vol. 2, Issue 1; January 13, 2011
2010
Meeting the Needs of Dual Eligibles - Vol. 1, Issue 38; December 16, 2010
Doc Fix and Part D - Vol. 1, Issue 37; December 9, 2010
Considering the Commission’s Proposal - Vol. 1, Issue 36; December 2, 2010
New Protections for Consumers - Vol. 1, Issue 35; November 18, 2010
Calling on Congress - Vol. 1, Issue 34; November 11, 2010
An Ounce of Prevention - Vol. 1, Issue 33; November 4, 2010
A Resource to Help Guide Consumers - Vol. 1, Issue 32; October 28, 2010
Clearing Up the Confusion - Vol. 1, Issue 31; October 21, 2010
A Look at Long-Term Care - Vol. 1, Issue 30; October 14, 2010
Exchanging the Old for the New - Vol. 1, Issue 29; October 7, 2010
Fraud, the Flu and a Fresh Look - Vol. 1, Issue 28; September 30, 2010
Keeping Medicare Strong - Vol. 1, Issue 27; September 23, 2010
What's New in Enrollment - Vol. 1, Issue 26; September 9, 2010
A Look Ahead - Vol. 1, Issue 25; August 26, 2010
The Access Problem - Vol. 1, Issue 24; August 12, 2010
A Positive Prognosis - Vol. 1, Issue 23; August 5, 2010
A Birthday for Medicare - Vol. 1, Issue 22; July 29, 2010
Leveraging Low-Income Programs - Vol. 1, Issue 21; July 22, 2010
Off-Label on the Table - Vol. 1, Issue 20; July 15, 2010
In with the New - Vol. 1, Issue 19; July 8, 2010
Breaking Barriers to Preventive Care - Vol. 1, Issue 18; July 1, 2010
A New Effort to Reform Enrollment - Vol. 1, Issue 17; June 24, 2010
Why People Disenroll from Medicare Private Health Plans - Vol. 1, Issue 16; June 17, 2010
The First Round of Rebates - Vol. 1, Issue 15; June 10, 2010
Fighting Fraud - Vol. 1, Issue 14; June 3, 2010
A Discount on Drugs - Vol. 1, Issue 13; May 27, 2010
Averting the Cuts - Vol. 1, Issue 12; May 20, 2010
Readying the Rebates - Vol. 1, Issue 11; May 13, 2010
Filling in the Gaps - Vol. 1, Issue 10; May 6, 2010
$avings for Medicare Consumers - Vol. 1, Issue 9; April 29, 2010
A New CMS Administrator? - Vol. 1, Issue 8; April 22, 2010
Your Story Could Make Medicare Better - Vol. 1, Issue 7; April 15, 2010
Delivering on the Promise of Health Reform - Vol. 1, Issue 6; April 8, 2010
Health Reform: A Timeline - Vol. 1, Issue 5; April 1, 2010
Health Reform: The Final Hurdle - Vol. 1, Issue 4; March 25, 2010
Health Reform, Rising Drug Prices and More... - Vol. 1, Issue 3; March 18, 2010
Health Reform, Rules for Private Medicare Plans and More... - Vol. 1, Issue 2; March 11, 2010
Health Reform, MIPPA and More... - Vol. 1, Issue 1; March 4, 2010
Prior to March 2010, our weekly policy newsletter was named Asclepios. The most recent archived issues of Asclepios are linked below.
Get the Facts: Health Reform and Medicare - Vol. 10, Issue 8; February 25, 2010
Questions and Answers on Medicare and Health Reform - Vol. 10, Issue 7; February 18, 2010
Once We’re Dug Out - Vol. 10, Issue 6; February 11, 2010
Congress Must Extend Exceptions to Medicare Therapy Cap - Vol. 10, Issue 5; February 4, 2010
No Time to Quit - Vol. 10, Issue 4; January 28, 2010
What We Lose Without Health Reform - Vol. 10, Issue 3; January 21, 2010
Affordable Care for People with Disabilities - Vol. 10, Issue 2; January 14, 2010
Help for Low-Income People with Medicare - Vol. 10, Issue 1; January 7, 2010
Fill the Doughnut Hole - Vol. 9, Issue 49; December 17, 2009
Improving Medicare Advantage - Vol. 9, Issue 48; December 10, 2009
The Medicare Trust Fund - Vol. 9, Issue 47; December 3, 2009
You, Your Doctor and Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 46; November 18, 2009
A Vote for Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 45; November 12, 2009
Time to Vote for Health Care, Medicare Reform - Vol. 9, Issue 44; November 5, 2009
Is Your Health Care Affordable? - Vol. 9, Issue 43; October 29, 2009
Independence and Choice - Vol. 9, Issue 42; October 22, 2009
The Fight Heads to the Floor - Vol. 9, Issue 41; October 15, 2009
Twenty Dedicated Years - Vol. 9, Issue 40; October 08, 2009
Affordable Coverage During the Wait for Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 39; October 01, 2009
The Expanding Doughnut Hole - Vol. 9, Issue 38; September 24, 2009
Making the Baucus Bill Better - Vol. 9, Issue 37; September 17, 2009
The Senate's Turn - Vol. 9, Issue 36; September 10, 2009
Committed Citizens Can Change the World - Vol. 9, Issue 35; September 03, 2009
A Class Act - Vol. 9, Issue 34; August 27, 2009
An Ounce of Prevention - Vol. 9, Issue 33; August 20, 2009
Reality, Rumors and Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 32; August 14, 2009
Just the Facts - Vol. 9, Issue 31; August 6, 2009
Scare Tactics - Vol. 9, Issue 30; July 30, 2009
Close the Doughnut Hole - Vol. 9, Issue 29; July 23, 2009
Moving in the Right Direction - Vol. 9, Issue 28; July 16, 2009
Question of the Week - Vol. 9, Issue 27; July 9, 2009
The Long Wait for Health Care - Vol. 9, Issue 26; July 2, 2009
PhRMA’s Big Promise - Vol. 9, Issue 25; June 25, 2009
Too Much Coverage? - Vol. 9, Issue 24; June 18, 2009
Making Medicare Affordable - Vol. 9, Issue 23; June 11, 2009
Forgotten People with Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 22; June 4, 2009
Medicare and Health Reform - Vol. 9, Issue 21; May 28, 2009
An End to the Wait - Vol. 9, Issue 20; May 21, 2009
Don't Forget People with Medicare - Vol. 9, Issue 19; May 14, 2009
Medicare's High Costs - Vol. 9, Issue 18; May 7, 2009
Closing a Loophole - Vol. 9, Issue 17; April 30, 2009
A Good Decision - Vol. 9, Issue 16; April 23, 2009
Share Your Stories - Vol. 9, Issue 15; April 16, 2009
Who Takes the Hit? - Vol. 9, Issue 14; April 9, 2009
Simple and Straightforward - Vol. 9, Issue 13; April 2, 2009
Two Years Too Long - Vol. 9, Issue 12; March 26, 2009
Medicare Private Health Plan Benefits - Vol. 9, Issue 11; March 19, 2009
A Medicare Consumer Agenda - Vol. 9, Issue 10; March 12, 2009
The Informed Consumer - Vol. 9, Issue 9; March 5, 2009
The President's Budget - Vol. 9, Issue 8; February 26, 2009
Off-Label Use of Prescription Drugs - Vol. 9, Issue 7; February 19, 2009
Part D Stories - Vol. 9, Issue 6; February 12, 2009
The Doughnut Hole - Vol. 9, Issue 5; February 5, 2009
Fixing the Drug Benefit - Vol. 9, Issue 4; January 29, 2009
Right off the Bat - Vol. 9, Issue 3; January 22, 2009