Congressmen Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-CA.) and Patrick Meehan (R-PA) recently reintroduced the bipartisan Beneficiary Enrollment Notice and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (H.R. 2575)—an act applauded by Medicare Rights. The BENES Act simplifies Part B enrollment periods and requires the federal government to provide advance notification to people approaching Medicare eligibility about enrollment rules and how Medicare works with other coverage.

This week, President Trump released his proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year, which includes drastic cuts to essential services for people with Medicare, their families, and caregivers.

Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new estimates for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which was passed earlier

A recent article on Next Avenue, a PBS website, highlights an often-overlooked aspect of the American Health Care Act’s proposed cuts to the Medicaid program—how these cuts would affect the millions of people with Medicare and their families who depend on Medicaid covered services.

This week, a bipartisan bill was reintroduced in Congress that aims to curb rising pharmaceutical costs through transparency. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, along with Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, introduced the FAIR Drug Pricing Act in response to reports that prescription drug spending continues to skyrocket as pharmaceutical companies hike their prices, often multiple times a year and without warning.

The Commonwealth Fund released a report this week examining out-of-pocket expenses for people with Medicare. Fifty-six million people—17% of the U.S. population— rely on Medicare and receive many benefits from the program, yet, Original Medicare excludes coverage for dental, vision, hearing, and long-term services, and contains no ceiling on out-of-pocket costs for covered services. As a result, beneficiaries can be exposed to high costs.

Last week, the Commonwealth Fund released a study comparing the experiences of working-age adults with various insurance statuses over the course of a year. Specifically, the study compared those with Medicaid, those with private or employer-sponsored insurance, and those without insurance. With more than 70 million Americans covered by Medicaid, and an estimated 12 million gaining coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, it is important to know how people’s experience of that coverage stacks up to private coverage and to being uninsured.

The Medicare Rights Center and over 30 other national and state organizations, including the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and

With the House passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) last week, Congress is one step closer to making radical changes to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and Medicare that will put millions of Americans at risk of losing affordable health care. The AHCA ends Medicaid as we know it, eliminates insurance protections, raises premiums on older Americans, damages employer-based coverage, and undermines Medicare.

Now, Senate Republicans are weighing what’s next for the AHCA, which makes it all the more important to make your voice heard. Here are five things everyone can do to join the fight to protect our care.

Update: The House passed the American Health Care Act this afternoon by a narrow margin. Read Joe Baker’s statement on behalf of the Medicare Rights Center.