On October 18, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on Medicare Advantage (MA) marketing practices, with a focus on deceptive plan and broker behaviors that can derail beneficiary decision-making and access to care. Troublingly, such messaging is often, and increasingly, designed to confuse. According to the Centers for Medicare […]
Long-term services and supports (LTSS) encompasses a range of assistance that helps older adults and people with disabilities with activities of daily living such as bathing, dressing, and toileting, as well as other needs like managing medication. LTSS may be provided at home, or in institutional-based settings like nursing facilities […]
A new survey from KFF highlights problems people have using their health insurance, with 60% of insured adults reporting that they have had issues, including denied claims and appeals, as well as network inadequacy. The type of insurance matters; those with Medicare or Medicaid fare better than those with other […]
Last month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services monitor the effects of rebates on Part D plan formularies and beneficiary spending obligations. The agency reviewed the practice by which drug manufacturers give plans rebates in exchange for preferential placement of their medications […]
Last month, two congressional committees debated policy changes at the intersection of Medicare rules and federal tax law, though the conversations had little in common. On September 27, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on opportunities to improve Medicare solvency through revenue changes. Witnesses included Medicare Rights Center Board […]
Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all of the manufacturers of the first 10 drugs selected for the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program have committed to participate in the program. The negotiations will occur this year and in 2024, and the […]
This week, we at Medicare Rights released our annual Medicare Trends Report, which features key challenges facing people with Medicare and recommends ways to improve the program. Drawn from our work helping people with Medicare, caregivers, and professionals in 2022, the report includes an analysis of call data from our […]
