At the Medicare Rights Center, we encourage states to provide equal protections for people with Medicare, regardless of age. Last week, we joined the American Kidney Fund to explain the importance of Medigap access for people under 65 to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Most people with Medicare have two major options when choosing how to receive their Medicare coverage: Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage. While this decision is complicated, those who choose Original Medicare may have another decision to make as well—whether to add Medigap coverage.

On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the IMPROVE Act (H.R. 7217), which extends two critical Medicaid programs for older adults and people with disabilities. The U.S. Senate is expected to approve the bill before adjourning for the year.

First authorized in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Medicaid Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program (MFP) officially launched in 2007. Since then, it has helped over 88,000 older adults and people with disabilities transition from nursing and other facilities back to the community, and it has consistently been a cost-effective, successful program. According to independent, national evaluations MFP participants who have transitioned to community-based settings experience lasting improvements in quality of life, and they also decrease their overall Medicare and Medicaid expenditures by roughly 23%, generating considerable cost savings for the programs.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule that would allow Part D and Medicare Advantage plans to use additional tools to reduce prescription drug prices. Some of these tools rely on weakening the protections for consumers who take certain medications in what are known as the “protected classes.”

It is important that Medicare Advantage organizations (MAOs) supply complete, accurate, and easily accessed provider directories to ensure those who enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans know which providers are in a given plan’s network. Unfortunately, as we have highlighted before, MAO provider directories are not complete and accurate. Instead, for the third year running, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that runs the Medicare program, has revealed directory audit results showing widespread errors and inaccuracies.

As we recently discussed, there are two big ways Congress can help protect and strengthen Medicare in the current lame duck session—by passing the BENES Act and protecting important Part D reforms. But we need your help! Follow the steps below to ask your lawmakers to prioritize people with Medicare.

Call your Members of Congress by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected with your Representative and Senators.

Earlier this month, the Medicare Rights Center and the Center for Medicare Advocacy sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing concerns with some of the agency’s Fall Open Enrollment education and outreach materials. These materials seem to promote Medicare Advantage (MA) over Original Medicare.

Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Advocacy (CMS)—the federal agency that oversees the Medicare program—proposed changing the way Medicare pays physicians, in part by creating a flat fee per office visit. As Medicare Rights and other commenters noted, doing so could have devastating consequences for people with Medicare.

This week, lawmakers returned to Washington for the “lame duck” session, where they face a variety of issues to resolve before the end of the year. A lame duck session occurs when Congress reconvenes after an election, and is a reference to the outgoing members who still have voting powers.

The lame duck outlook for health care programs is somewhat uncertain, but lawmakers will have several opportunities to protect and strengthen programs for older adults and people with disabilities. In the coming days, we’ll be asking Congress to prioritize Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.

The 2018 midterm elections mean big changes are coming to Washington. When the 116th Congress convenes in January, it will be a divided one: Republicans will continue to control the Senate, but Democrats will have a majority in the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years.

With split-party control, any legislation will require bipartisan support in order to pass. The need for such consensus greatly decreases the likelihood that radical, disruptive bills will reach the President’s desk in the coming years, and effectively eliminates the acute threats to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that have dominated congressional conversations since 2017.

Last week, the Medicare Rights Center and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) released a new resource on the expansion Medicaid-to-Medicare transition process. Our Expansion Medicaid Transitions Guide is designed, in part, to help advocates learn about their state’s transition process and better assist clients when they need to switch from expansion Medicaid to Medicare. The guide includes terminology, an overview of select state processes, and some troubleshooting steps advocates can consider when encountering problems.