The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) responded to a request for information (RFI) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) asking about inappropriate steering practices encouraging people into coverage that is not right for them. CMS raises concerns about whether providers, plans, or others who stand to gain from an individual’s enrollment decisions may improperly influence people who may be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid to decline public health insurance and retain private market coverage or convince people to give up private market coverage in favor of Medicare or Medicaid.

Congress took steps this week to improve Medicare coverage and enrollment rules by introducing the “The Medicare Affordability and Enrollment Act of 2016.” If passed, the bill would create an out-of-pocket spending cap, reform the Medicare enrollment process by reducing penalties and gaps in coverage, and increase support for lower-income beneficiaries.

A new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) issue brief analyzes when people with Medicare make changes to their Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage. The paper highlights beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (MA-PDs) who change plans when given the opportunity.

Last week, the Medicare Rights Center submitted comments in response to proposals from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to update and change aspects of the Physician Fee Schedule. This annual, proposed rule includes specific information about the payment rate for select services as well as broad policy initiatives and changes.

As Medicare Fall Open Enrollment approaches, the time of year from October 15 to December 7 when people with Medicare can make changes to their coverage, the Medicare Rights Center submitted feedback and suggestions about a critical tool in making these decisions—the Medicare.gov Plan Finder.

CMS recently released a new notice that people with Medicare and Marketplace coverage will receive. The notice informs these individuals that if they have Medicare, they are most likely no longer eligible to receive the premium tax credits to help pay for Marketplace plan premiums. The notice also provides useful information on how to ensure that you are enrolled in Medicare without penalties or gaps in coverage.

This week, Medicare Rights Center, along with a coalition of 20 organizations sent a letter expressing support for the mission and goals of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), including the proposed Part B Drug Payment Model. CMMI is the part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) tasked with developing and evaluating ways to make the Medicare program more value-driven, more efficient, and more effective at delivering and paying for needed care.

While a significant movement is underway to transform the U.S. health care system to deliver person-centered and value-based care, these efforts often place a greater emphasis on the “value-based” aspects rather than the “person-centered” aspects of the transformation.

The Health Care Transformation Task Force, a consortium of patients, payers, providers and purchasers working to accelerate the pace of U.S. health care delivery system transformation, commits to close this gap and inspire a greater focus on patient-centered care.

This week, Medicare Rights responded to proposals from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would make changes to the Medicare appeals process. Medicare Rights was supportive of some proposals to streamline and modernize the appeals process, and expressed concern about others that may undermine important beneficiary rights and protections.