— Report Highlights Two-Year Trends from Medicare Rights’
National Helpline and Online Reference Tool–

New York, NY– Medicare Open Enrollment occurs from October 15 to December 7 of every year and is the time of year when people with Medicare can make unrestricted changes to their coverage options. To assist the press in their Medicare coverage, the Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) developed Medicare Open Enrollment: A Resource for Journalists which includes a list of upcoming changes, expert advice, and related issues of interest to people with Medicare. Also included are consumer-friendly resources that can be shared with readers.

The Medicare Rights Center, a national nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities, expects that journalists will find the resource helpful as they prepare their coverage for this year’s Medicare enrollment season.

Medicare Rights is also highlighting in a new report the top ongoing challenges facing people with Medicare, as they make their enrollment choices this fall. The report, Medicare Trends and Recommendations: An Analysis of 2018-2019 Call Data from the Medicare Rights Center’s National Helpline, contains findings based on more than 37,000 questions and issues addressed through Medicare Rights’ national helpline and millions of visits to Medicare Interactive, the online Medicare reference tool developed by Medicare Rights.

The annual helpline trends report examines the top three issues heard on Medicare Rights’ helpline and the answers most searched for on Medicare Interactive. Each issue identified, demonstrated through stories heard on the helpline, can be used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), state agencies, insurers, elected officials, and other stakeholders as a basis to strengthen the Medicare program for the more than 60 million people it serves.

A variety of trends highlighted in past reports continue to stand out:

• Navigating Medicare Part B enrollment and health care affordability;
• Appealing Medicare Advantage denials of care; and
• Accessing and affording prescription drugs.

Medicare Trends and Recommendations: An Analysis of 2018-2019 Call Data from the Medicare Rights Center’s National Helpline is available at: https://www.medicarerights.org/policy-documents/2018-2019-medicare-trends-and-recommendations.

Medicare Open Enrollment: A Resource for Journalists is available at: https://www.medicarerights.org/pdf/fall-open-enrollment-resource-for-journalists.pdf.

A consumer version of this resource is also available on Medicare Interactive. Developed by the Medicare Rights Center, Medicare Interactive (MI) is a free and independent online reference tool thoughtfully designed to help older adults and people with disabilities navigate the complex world of health insurance.