Medicare Rights Center Praises Consumer Protections Embedded in Part D Program to Prevent Prescription Drug Overuse   Washington, DC—Among many measures in the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016,  signed into law last week by President Obama, was a Part D “lock-in” program intended to prevent people with Medicare from […]

Medicare Rights Center Brings Consumer Perspective to HHS Roundtable on Bundled  Payments, Praises Reforms and Stresses Need for Robust Patient Engagement Strategies   Jacksonville, FL—Today, Joe Baker, president of the Medicare Rights Center, joined the honorable Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), […]

BENES Act Will Bring Relief to People Nearing Medicare Eligibility by Modernizing a Fragmented and Archaic Part B Enrollment System, says the Medicare Rights Center  Washington, DC — The Medicare Rights Center applauds the introduction of the bipartisan “Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act,” championed in the House of […]

Proposed Elimination of SHIPs Threatens Health and Independence of People with Medicare Millions of people turn to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs annually to navigate the complexities of Medicare Arlington, VA – The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a Fiscal Year 2017 budget appropriations bill that completely eliminates the $52.1 million […]

Social Security Letters Alert Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries to Missed Benefits Medicare Rights Center Can Help Older Adults Enroll in Low-Income Programs New York, NY—Beginning this week, people with Medicare will receive a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA) if they may be eligible for help with their out-of-pocket medical and […]

Medicare Rights Center Applauds CMS Initiative to Help People with Marketplace Coverage Transition to Medicare Washington, DC—Today, heeding a call to action from more than 40 leading consumer advocates and health insurers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an initiative to help people with Marketplace plans transition to […]

Medicare Rights President Joe Baker Testifies at Congressional Hearing in Support of Part B Drug Payment Model Washington, DC—Today, Medicare Rights Center President Joe Baker testified in support of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposal to test new ways to pay for prescription drugs covered under Medicare […]

Medicare Rights Center Endorses CMS Proposal to Test Value-Based Payment Strategies for Part B Medications New York, NY—The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) today sent a letter to Sylvia Mathews Burwell, secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for […]

Last Chance for Eligible Individuals to Enroll in Medicare Part B — General Enrollment Period Ends March 31 — New York, NY—Consumers who are eligible for Medicare Part B but have not yet enrolled should do so before March 31, when this year’s General Enrollment Period (GEP) ends. Consumers who […]

Medicare Rights Center Provides Probing Questions to Ask Candidates to Determine their Positions on Protecting and Strengthening Medicare New York, NY—The Medicare Rights Center today released six questions to ask the 2016 presidential and congressional candidates to find out where they stand on protecting and strengthening Medicare. “The Medicare program […]