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Medicare Watch

Your Weekly Medicare
Consumer Advocacy Update

A New CMS Administrator?
April 22, 2010	Volume 1, Issue 8
Harvard Doctor Tapped as CMS Chief President Obama has nominated Dr. Donald Berwick, a pediatrician and president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Berwick has already come under fire from some Senators, who must approve his nomination. For example, Senator Pat Roberts, Republican of Kansas, criticized Berwick for not agreeing that higher patient copayments were a good way to restrain growth in health care spending, according to Congressional Quarterly. A range of organizations representing doctors, hospitals and consumers, however, welcomed Berwick�s nomination. Watch a video of Dr. Berwick speaking at the 2009 International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care. Read Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker’s statement on Dr. Berwick. CMS Sets Benefit Rules for MA Plans Starting in 2011, most private Medicare “Advantage” (MA) health plans will have to set a cap of no more than $6,700 on how much consumers spend on deductibles and copayments for medical services during the year. The new cap on out-of-pocket spending, along with new limits on how much plans can charge for individual services like chemotherapy, are described in recent guidelines on benefit packages released by CMS. Read Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker’s statement on the new cost sharing limits.		Medicare Reminder Before you join a Medicare private health plan, there are some questions you should ask: Will I be able to use my doctors? Are my prescription drugs on the plan’s formulary (list of covered drugs)? How much is the monthly premium, what is the deductible and how high are the copayments? Read the full list of questions on Medicare Interactive, the Medicare Rights Center’s free online counseling tool. Spotlight On April 9, Frederic Riccardi, Enrollment Outreach Coordinator at the Medicare Rights Center, testified on the important role of Area Agencies on Aging and the 2011 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Read the testimony.
Stay up-to-date on Medicare policy and advocacy developments, and learn about changes in Medicare benefits and rules with this weekly newsletter. * * * * * * * * The Medicare Rights Center 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. Visit our online subscription form to sign up for Medicare Watch at http://www.medicarerights.org/about-mrc/newsletter-signup.php. Get answers to your Medicare questions from Medicare Interactive at http://www.medicareinteractive.org. � 2010 by Medicare Rights Center. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, please contact Nathan Heggem.