Articles by Topic

Medicare Advantage Articles

• Barriers to Care for Medicare Advantage Enrollees Highlighted even as Insurance Industry Continues Effort to Retain Their Overpayments March 16, 2023
• New Campaign: Finalize Proposed MA Payment Changes & Crack Down on Waste and Abuse March 16, 2023
• Medicare Advantage Industry Continues to Fight Minor, Overdue Course Corrections March 9, 2023
• Medicare Advantage Industry Continues to Mislead Public to Protect Their Overpayments March 2, 2023
• 70 Members of Congress Call for Medicare Advantage Reforms, Including Reining in Overpayments February 16, 2023
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Comments on Proposed Part C & D Rule February 16, 2023
• Insurance Industry Response to Proposed Medicare Advantage Payment for 2024 February 16, 2023
• Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage? February 9, 2023
• Medicare Advantage Updates – Audits, Payment, and Prior Authorization February 9, 2023
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Statement on Recent Medicare Advantage Payment Policies and Proposals February 3, 2023
• Medicare Advantage Round-Up December 15, 2022
• CMS Issues Proposed Rules Impacting Medicare Advantage – Part C & D Rule for 2024, and Separate Prior Authorization Rule December 15, 2022
• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Ends December 7th December 1, 2022
• Disputes with Medicare Advantage Plans: Know the Difference Between Appeals and Grievances November 17, 2022
• Sale of “Ancillary Products” to Fill Gaps in Medicare Advantage Highlight Both Coverage Shortfalls and Need for Stronger Regulation of the MA Marketplace November 17, 2022
• Senate Report Highlights Widespread Medicare Advantage Marketing Misconduct – But the Driving Forces of Misconduct Are Broader November 10, 2022
• Special Report | Recent Articles and Reports Shed Light on Medicare Advantage Issues October 31, 2022
• Recent Articles Address Medicare Advantage Overpayments and Inappropriate Denials October 13, 2022
• “Medicare & You” Continues to Reverse Bias Towards, and More Accurately Describe, Medicare Advantage September 28, 2022
• Kaiser Family Foundation Releases Report Regarding Differences Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage September 21, 2022
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments re: Medicare Advantage September 1, 2022
• New from the Center: Form to Contest Multiple Medicare Denials Issued by Medicare Advantage Plans August 25, 2022
• Medicare Agency is Seeking Comments on Medicare Advantage August 22, 2022
• Report: Nursing Home MA Issues Survey August 18, 2022
• NEJM Perspective: ACO REACH – A Progressive Value-Based Payment Model, Promoting Equity July 21, 2022
• Voices of Medicare | Medicare Advantage Network Inadequacy July 7, 2022
• Call to Action – Policy Makers Must Increase Medicare Advantage Oversight and Rein in Overpayments May 5, 2022
• Medicare Advantage is Not the Solution to Medicare Equity or Solvency Problems May 5, 2022
• Office of Inspector General (OIG) Issues Another Report Highlighting Inappropriate Medicare Advantage Denials May 5, 2022
• Insurance Industry v. Provider Response to OIG Report re: MA Denials May 5, 2022
• OIG Report Estimates of Inappropriate MA Plan Denials May be Understated May 5, 2022
• (Most) Policymakers Fail to Act on Medicare Advantage Oversight and Overpayment May 5, 2022
• Government Watchdog Issues Another Report Highlighting Inappropriate Medicare Advantage Denials April 28, 2022
• When Artificial Intelligence in Medicare Advantage Impedes Access to Care: A Case Study April 21, 2022
• Members of Congress Send Letter to CMS Urging Agency to Address Medicare Advantage Overpayments April 21, 2022
• Commonwealth Fund Blog Series About Medicare Advantage April 7, 2022
• A Special Alert about Medicare’s Future | Don’t Let Traditional Medicare “Wither on the Vine*” March 31, 2022
• Medicare Advantage Plans Pitch to People Turning 65 March 17, 2022
• Recent Solicitation Scams Target Medicare-Eligible Adults March 17, 2022
• CMS Needs to Rein in Medicare Advantage Overpayments and Heighten Oversight of Insurance Industry March 10, 2022
• House GOP Accuses Dems of Trying to Rein in Medicare Advantage Overpayments in Order to Expand Benefits to All Medicare Beneficiaries: If Only This Were True… March 3, 2022
• CMS Releases Proposed 2023 Rule for Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans January 13, 2022
• Reminder: Limited Opportunity to Make Certain Medicare Plan Changes Through the End of March January 6, 2022
• Study Published in Health Affairs Finds that Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Program Has Not Improved Quality January 6, 2022
• New Analysis Provides More Evidence of Wasteful Medicare Advantage Overpayments November 18, 2021
• As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Progresses, Beware of Marketing Misconduct November 11, 2021
• Landscape of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D Plans in 2022 November 11, 2021
• New Issue Brief | Retiree Auto Enrollment in Medicare Advantage Plans – Choice is Under Threat October 14, 2021
• Special Report | Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Starts Tomorrow – Look Before You Leap October 14, 2021
• Health Affairs Blog Highlight How the Medicare “Money Machine” Draws Medicare Advantage Plans and Investors into Direct Contracting Demonstrations October 7, 2021
• CMS Releases Private Medicare Rates – Choose Your Coverage Wisely September 30, 2021
• New Research Raises Questions About Medicare Advantage Payments September 23, 2021
• MEDICARE & YOU 2022 – An Important First Step Towards Reversing Bias in Favor of Medicare Advantage September 20, 2021
• Medicare is at a Crossroads – Time to Dispel Myths Hindering an Historic Expansion of Benefits September 2, 2021
• Report Examines High Spending on Medicare Advantage Plans August 19, 2021
• Medicare Advantage Costs and Coverage Concerns August 12, 2021
• Kaiser Family Foundation Issues Report Comparing Cost-Related Problems for Medicare Advantage Enrollees and Beneficiaries in Traditional Medicare July 8, 2021
• Reminder: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period Ends March 31st March 25, 2021
• Policy-Makers Should Review Overpayments to Medicare Advantage when Considering Medicare Fiscal Solvency March 18, 2021
• Medicare and the Dilemma of “Choice” March 11, 2021
• Final 2022 Rule for Medicare Parts C and D Released By Trump Administration February 4, 2021
• Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Season Enters Final Weeks: Few People Compare Options, and the Means of Comparison are Often Flawed November 19, 2020
• MA Plans Allowed to Report Less Data about Appeals Outcomes October 1, 2020
• Final Rule for Medicare Parts C and D Includes Weakened Standards for Medicare Advantage Networks May 28, 2020
• Case Study: Medicare Advantage and Repeated Coverage Denials Amid the COVID Crisis May 14, 2020
• Medicare Trustees Report: Projections Similar to Last Year, and Savings Are Available April 30, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments on Proposed Medicare Parts C and D Rule April 9, 2020
• Reminder: Medicare Advantage Enrollment Period Ends this Month; Ongoing Opportunity for Special Enrollment Period March 12, 2020
• The Myth of “Choice” in Private Insurance, Including Medicare Advantage March 5, 2020
• Articles Highlight Medicare Advantage Concerns February 27, 2020
• Medicare Advantage Continues to Drive Up Medicare Costs – Congress Must Act to Level the Playing Field with Traditional Medicare February 4, 2020
• Medicare Advantage Marketing Matters: Case Study January 16, 2020
• Government Watchdog Agency Once Again Finds Wasteful Medicare Advantage Overpayment December 20, 2019
• Wasting Time Waiting for Prior Authorization – At What Physical and Emotional Cost? December 5, 2019
• Family History of Colon Cancer Should Increase the Frequency of Colonoscopies, but Ultimately the MA Plan, Not the Treating Doctor, May Determine When Procedures Will Occur November 21, 2019
• MA Plan Prior Authorization Requirements Cause Problems in a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Leading to Patient Re-Hospitalizations November 14, 2019
• Medicare is Being Privatized. Where is the Outcry? November 14, 2019
• Medicare Enrollment Problems Persist November 7, 2019
• Medicare Enrollment and Medicare Advantage Updates October 24, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Analysis of President’s Medicare Executive Order: October 10, 2019
• Connecticut Congressional Delegation Concerned about Medicare Advantage Network Provider Terminations in the State October 3, 2019
• Senator Brown Leads Call for Better Oversight of Medicare Advantage Plans September 19, 2019
• Medicare Platform: Objective Information and Consumer Protections Face Challenges September 5, 2019
• Advocates Issue Joint Letter Raising Alarms about New Medicare Plan Finder and Revisions to MA and Part D Marketing Guidelines August 29, 2019
• Support Traditional Medicare by Leveling the Playing Field with Medicare Advantage August 15, 2019
• Private Medicare Advantage Plans Overbill Medicare July 25, 2019
• Report Highlights Overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans and Raises Important Policy Considerations May 23, 2019
• Article Raises Concerns about Medicare Advantage and Calls Attention to Limited Medigap Access April 25, 2019
• The Growing Disparity Between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare: CMS Publishes Final MA Telehealth Benefit Rule April 18, 2019
• Medicare Advantage Case Spotlight March 14, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to CMS’ Draft 2020 Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Part D March 7, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: CMS Should Provide Objective Information About Medicare Options February 14, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Create Parity Between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare February 7, 2019
• Center Submits Comments on Proposed Medicare Prescription Drug Rule January 31, 2019
• Today Ends the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period; Does it Begin a New Private Era for Medicare? December 7, 2018
• In Her Own Words: A Beneficiary’s Take On Medicare Advantage Steering December 6, 2018
• Amidst Medicare Open Enrollment, CMS Reports High Rates of Inaccuracy in Medicare Advantage Provider Directories December 6, 2018
• As Medicare Enrollment Period Draws to a Close, MA Steering Continues – Advocates & Members of Congress Write Letters of Concern to CMS November 30, 2018
• Important Health Policy Article Published In New England Journal of Medicine: “Medicare Advantage Checkup” November 29, 2018
• Government Watchdog Agency Raises Concerns About Medicare Advantage Denials October 18, 2018
• Medicare Fully Informed Project October 15, 2018
• Court Ruling May Lead to Even More Overpayments to Medicare Advantage September 13, 2018
• Studies Differ Regarding Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage July 12, 2018
• Tipping the Scales Toward Medicare Advantage (at the Expense of Medicare) June 21, 2018
• Advocates Raise Concerns About Inaccuracies and Bias in Draft MEDICARE & YOU Handbook May 31, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments on New CMS Medicare Marketing May 3, 2018
• Tipping the Scales Toward Medicare Advantage March 21, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to CMS’ Draft 2019 Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Part D March 8, 2018
• JAMA Calls for Release of Medicare Advantage Data – A Full Review of MA is Long Overdue March 8, 2018
• Medicare Advantage Enrollees Have Fewer SNF Options than Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries January 24, 2018
• Alert – Tax Cut Harm Just Got Worse; This Week in Sabotage; CMS Pushing MA Plans; SNF Deregulation November 15, 2017
• CMA Alert – Remember You CAN Choose Original Medicare; Equitable Relief; This Week’s Sabotage News October 25, 2017
• CMA Alert – Critical Issue Roundup: MA Overpayment; HH Payment; Observation; More August 16, 2017
• Center Urges CMS to Preserve and Strengthen Consumer Protections in Medicare Advantage and Part D April 26, 2017
• Insurer Reaches Agreement with Provider Network – After Frightening Medicare Advantage Enrollees April 19, 2017
• CMS Releases Final 2018 Call Letter: Too Little for Consumers April 12, 2017
• What Would Work Better for You? Deciding Between Traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage Plan November 9, 2016
• 10 Questions to Ask Before Deciding Between Traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage Plan November 3, 2016
• CMS Suspends New Applications for MA “Seamless Conversion” Enrollment October 26, 2016
• The Center’s Long-Time Concerns Gain Attention August 31, 2016
• Medicare Beneficiaries Still Prefer Traditional Medicare June 8, 2016
• Case Study: Enrolled In a Medicare Advantage Plan Without Her Knowledge Through “Seamless Conversion Enrollment” June 1, 2016
• Government Auditor Finds Billions in Improper Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans Coupled with Inadequate Oversight by Federal Regulator May 11, 2016
• CMS Policy Change Allows Windfall for Medicare Advantage Plans Under Sanction March 16, 2016
• Kaiser Family Foundation Releases Reports on MA and Part D in 2016 October 15, 2015
• GAO Issues Report Concerning CMS Oversight of Medicare Advantage Provider Network Adequacy October 1, 2015
• Case Study: Home Health Coverage and Medicare Advantage Plan Responsibilities August 13, 2015
• Reports of Import – Trustees and Kaiser Family Foundation July 23, 2015
• Final 2016 CMS Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D Released April 9, 2015
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Co-Authors Report Published by the Kaiser Family Foundation Comparing Consumer Protections in Major Health Plans March 26, 2015
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to Draft 2016 Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D March 12, 2015
• 2016 Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D Final Rule Issued February 19, 2015
• Update on MA and Part D Plans October 23, 2014
• Impact of ACA on Mid-term Elections; Beneficiary and Family-Centered QIOs; and More September 11, 2014
• Medicare Advantage Patient Bill of Rights Legislation Introduced in Congress August 1, 2014
• Center Executive Director Judith Stein Testifies Before House Energy & Commerce Committee about Medicare Advantage Plans March 13, 2014
• Medicare Advantage Payment Reductions Are Good News for Medicare February 27, 2014
• Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans: Considerations for Reauthorization December 5, 2013
• The Medicare Annual Coordinated Election Period Has Begun! October 17, 2013
• United Healthcare Dramatically Reducing CT Medicare Advantage Plans – Check in YOUR State October 10, 2013
• Medicare Advantage “Cuts?” Don’t Believe it. March 14, 2013
• Reminder: Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP) Ends February 14th February 7, 2013
• Picking a Plan During the Annual Enrollment Period? Choose Carefully October 18, 2012
• Rewarding Mediocrity: GAO Report Concerning Medicare Advantage “Bonus” Payments April 26, 2012
• Forcing Dual Eligibles Into Private Health Plans is No Quick Fix November 22, 2011
• Medicare Advantage and Part D Changes and Enrollment Updates October 6, 2011
• Annual Enrollment Starts October 15 and Ends December 7 for Medicare Part C & Part D Plans September 22, 2011
• New Rules for Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans June 2, 2011
• 45 Day Disenrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Members January 6, 2011

Medicare Reform Articles

• President Biden’s Prescription for Medicare Solvency March 9, 2023
• Implementation of Medicare Drug Bill Proceeds – This Progress Must be Defended March 2, 2023
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Statement on Recent Medicare Advantage Payment Policies and Proposals February 3, 2023
• Critical Provisions of Medicare Drug Bill Already Taking Effect January 19, 2023
• Medicare Provisions in Year-End Spending Bill January 5, 2023
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Weighs in on IRA Implementation December 8, 2022
• Provisions of Recently Passed Medicare Drug Bill in Effect Next Month – January 2023 December 8, 2022
• Additional New Medicare Coverage News – Hearing Aids and Oral Health August 18, 2022
• President Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act into Law – Includes Critical Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions August 18, 2022
• Senate Passes Historic Reconciliation Bill, House Vote Imminent August 11, 2022
• Senate Poised to Vote on Important Bill with Valuable Medicare Drug Provisions August 4, 2022
• 2022 Medicare Trustees Report June 9, 2022
• Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Medicare Solvency February 3, 2022
• CMA Statement on Medicare Financing February 3, 2022
• Study Published in Health Affairs Finds that Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Program Has Not Improved Quality January 6, 2022
• Build Back Better Act: House and Senate Nursing Home Provisions Compared December 16, 2021
• Pass Build Back Better — Seize the Moment to Protect Nursing Home Residents December 2, 2021
• CMA Statement | But for Critical Hearing Benefit, Medicare is Left Behind in Build Back Better Framework October 28, 2021
• Analysis Provides Options for Containing the Cost of a New Medicare Dental, Hearing, and Vision Benefit October 7, 2021
• Congress Continues to Negotiate Potential Historic Expansion of Medicare – The Time to Act Is Now September 30, 2021
• Reminder | Tell Congress Now is the Time to Improve Medicare September 23, 2021
• Congress Begins Debate About Adding Dental, Hearing and Vision Benefits to Medicare – Now is the Time to Act September 9, 2021
• Medicare is at a Crossroads – Time to Dispel Myths Hindering an Historic Expansion of Benefits September 2, 2021
• Congress Sets the Stage for Important Medicare Improvements August 12, 2021
• Advocates Call on Congress to Improve Medicare July 22, 2021
• Medicare Team Now Complete – Time to Improve the Program for Beneficiaries July 8, 2021
• Medicare and Revenue – Looking Back, Looking Forward May 3, 2021
• Changes to Health Coverage Must Include Medicare Improvements April 29, 2021
• Policy-Makers Should Review Overpayments to Medicare Advantage when Considering Medicare Fiscal Solvency March 18, 2021
• Medicare and the Dilemma of “Choice” March 11, 2021
• Study Finds Cost-Sharing Increases Can be Deadly February 25, 2021
• Commonwealth Fund Issues Series of Articles Addressing Medicare’s Fiscal Solvency – Introductory Statement by Marilyn Moon February 11, 2021
• Center for Medicare Advocacy and Medicare Rights Center Urge Biden Administration to Take Immediate Action on Key Issues Facing Medicare Beneficiaries February 11, 2021
• Biden Administration Withdraws Harmful Rule Re: Dropping Medicare Part A Coverage February 4, 2021
• Consumer Groups Sign on to Letter Asking Acting HHS Secretary to Suspend Geo Direct Contracting Demo February 4, 2021
• A New Administration Begins During a “Winter of Peril and Possibility” January 21, 2021
• COVID Relief and Omnibus Package: Overview of Medicare Provisions January 7, 2021
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Issues Transition Memorandum: Medicare Improvements for the Biden Administration December 18, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Urges Incoming Administration to Suspend Direct Contracting Demonstration December 17, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Comments on Harmful Proposed Rule that Would Automatically Expire Regulations Governing Medicare and Other Important Programs December 10, 2020
• Strengthen Medicare to Build Back Better December 9, 2020
• Candidates: Don’t Forget Medicare September 24, 2020
• Medicare’s Finances – Challenges and Solutions September 10, 2020
• Improve Medicare for All Beneficiaries August 13, 2020
• Real Medicare Matters July 30, 2020
• Podcast with Judy Stein: Moving Forward with COVID-19 and Medicare May 28, 2020
• House Passes Historic Medicare Expansion Bill – H.R. 3 December 12, 2019
• House to Vote on Historic Medicare Bill Next Week December 5, 2019
• Potential Impacts of New Medicare Payment Models On Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Care October 31, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Board President Judith Feder Testifies at Drug Pricing Hearing October 17, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Analysis of President’s Medicare Executive Order: October 10, 2019
• Support Traditional Medicare by Leveling the Playing Field with Medicare Advantage August 15, 2019
• A First Step in an Important National Discussion: Congressional Committee Holds Hearing on “Medicare for All” May 2, 2019
• Medicare Trustees Issue 2019 Report: Medicare is Not Going Broke April 25, 2019
• Home Infusion Therapy Services March 13, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: CMS Should Provide Objective Information About Medicare Options February 14, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Create Parity Between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare February 7, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Cover Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) January 31, 2019
• Center Submits Comments on Proposed Medicare Prescription Drug Rule January 31, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Add an Out-of-Pocket Cap January 24, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Oral Health January 17, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Ensure Medigap Access January 10, 2019
• Medicare Platform: December 20, 2018
• Medicare Matters for Young Americans: Expect It, Protect It! October 10, 2018
• MedPAC Discusses Requiring a Three-Day Hospital Stay for All Post-Acute Care, Threatening Access to Care September 13, 2018
• Tipping the Scales Toward Medicare Advantage (at the Expense of Medicare) June 21, 2018
• CMS Issues Request for Information on “Direct Provider Contracting:” Beneficiary Advocates Take Note May 10, 2018
• Choose Medicare Act Introduced – Improving Medicare, Moving Toward Universal Coverage April 19, 2018
• Bill to Control Medicare Prescription Drug Costs Introduced March 8, 2018
• Tax Cut Bill Just Got Worse.  Health Care at Risk. November 15, 2017
• CBO Report Confirms ACA Repeal Legislation Will Reduce Health Coverage, Care and Undermine Medicare March 15, 2017
• American Health Care Act (AHCA): A Repeal and Regress Plan March 7, 2017
• Health Savings Accounts and Medicare Beneficiaries March 1, 2017
• President Trump’s Address to Congress Brings No New News on Health March 1, 2017
• Back to the Future: High Risk Pools Annotated Bibliography February 22, 2017
• Repealing Medicaid Expansion Could Lead to Thousands of Deaths in the U.S. Annually February 22, 2017
• Affordable Care Act Replacement Proposals – Concerns and Resources February 15, 2017
• New Study: Uninsured Rates for Older Adults will Increase if ACA is Repealed or Medicare Eligibility Age is Raised February 1, 2017
• Issue Brief: Nursing Home Residents in Jeopardy if Medicaid Becomes a Block Grant February 1, 2017
• Opening Salvo on ACA Replacement Falls Short January 25, 2017
• HHS Nominee Price Faced Senate HELP Committee Today – Unanswered Questions Remain January 18, 2017
• What’s at Stake In the Fight to Sustain Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) January 11, 2017
• “Cures” Act Tips the Scales Even Further in Favor of Medicare Advantage Over Traditional Medicare December 28, 2016
• Reports Highlight Devastating Effects of Repealing the Affordable Care Act and Turning Medicaid into Block Grants December 14, 2016
• Protect Our Health Care: It’s All Connected – ACA, Medicaid and Medicare are All Under Threat December 7, 2016
• 10 Things To Be Thankful For, From the Center for Medicare Advocacy November 23, 2016
• An Open Letter to CMS About Fraud September 28, 2016
• Medicare Affordability and Enrollment Act: Important Protection Introduced for Beneficiaries September 22, 2016
• Kaiser Family Foundation Issue Brief
  Turning Medicare Into a Premium Support System: Frequently Asked Questions July 26, 2016
• Democratic and Republican Party Platforms: Side-by-Side Comparison of Issues Important to Medicare Beneficiaries July 20, 2016
• Proper Use of Electronic Health Records Could Enhance Patient Care July 14, 2016
• President Calls On Congress to Add a Public Option to the Affordable Care Act July 13, 2016
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments on Proposed MACRA Rule June 29, 2016
• Center Comments on Proposed Rules for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities June 22, 2016
• Yet Again, Value-Based Purchasing Did Not Improve Quality December 16, 2015
• Solution to Medicare Part B Cost Increases? Look at “Outpatient” Observation Status October 23, 2015
• Center Submits Comments to CMS Proposal Concerning Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design Model September 17, 2015
• Reports of Import – Trustees and Kaiser Family Foundation July 23, 2015
• Bundling Payments for Post-Acute Care May 14, 2015
• Center Attorneys Meet with Senate Finance Committee Staff Members About Changes to Medicare Appeals Process May 7, 2015
• Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Medicare Appeals Backlog – Proposed Solutions Are of Great Concern April 30, 2015
• Congress Passes “Doc Fix” – Senate Unable to Improve the Bill for Medicare Beneficiaries April 16, 2015
• Medicare Myths vs. Facts – “Doc Fix” Edition April 9, 2015
• Observation Status Bills Reintroduced in Both the House and the Senate (H.R. 1571/S. 843) March 26, 2015
• “Doc Fix” Package Passed by House Takes Too Much from Beneficiaries with Too Little In Return March 26, 2015
• No Way to Celebrate Medicare’s 50th: Proposed Congressional Budgets Offer More of the Same, Less for Medicare and Beneficiaries March 18, 2015
• Ongoing “Doc Fix” Negotiations March 18, 2015
• The President’s Proposed FY 2016 Budget: The Impact on Medicare February 5, 2015
• Medicaid-Medicare Dual Eligible Updates December 4, 2014
• Center Executive Director Judith Stein Testifies Before House Energy & Commerce Committee about Medicare Advantage Plans March 13, 2014
• The President’s Proposed FY 2015 Budget: The Impact on Medicare March 6, 2014
• Replacing the Broken Medicare Physician Payment Formula: At What Cost for People with Medicare? December 19, 2013
• Medicare Prescription Drug Rebate Debate November 21, 2013
• Caution: Home Health Episode Payment Caps October 10, 2013
• Happy Birthday, Medicare! July 25, 2013
• The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act: Improving Enrollment in the Medicare Savings Program Five Years Later July 11, 2013
• New Report: Immigrants and Immigration Reform are Good for Medicare June 6, 2013
• Good News: Trustees Project Longer Medicare Solvency May 31, 2013
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Joint Testimony to Congress on Medicare Reform Proposals May 23, 2013
• CMS Addresses Observation Status Again… And Again, No Help for Beneficiaries May 16, 2013
• Debunking Medicare Myths: Drug Rebates for Dual Eligibles May 8, 2013
• Medicare’s Future: Letting the Affordable Care Act Work, While Learning From the Past May 7, 2013
• Privatization: Not Right for Medicaid, Not Right for Medicare April 25, 2013
• Medicare Paid $5.1 Billion to SNFs that Did Not Provide Care-Planning and Discharge-Planning (February 2013 OIG Report) April 18, 2013
• The Impact of the President’s Budget on People Who Depend on Medicare and Social Security April 11, 2013
• Medicare Benefit Redesign: Proposals to Restructure Could Hurt More than Help April 4, 2013
• Happy Anniversary, Affordable Care Act March 21, 2013
• Medicare Advantage “Cuts?” Don’t Believe it. March 14, 2013
• Medicare and Mental Health March 14, 2013
• Protect Medicare: Reject Paul Ryan’s Budget Proposal March 14, 2013
• Honor Women’s History Month: Preserve a Strong Medicare Program March 7, 2013
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Testifies on Medicare Redesign February 26, 2013
• Translating DC-Speak: What Deficit Proposals Mean for Medicare Beneficiaries February 14, 2013
• Nursing Home Enforcement by United States Attorneys: What Happened to the Regulatory System? February 7, 2013
• Study Shows High Cost-Sharing Significantly Harms Family Health and Finances February 1, 2013
• Medicare Facts and Fiction: Costs and Spending Edition January 10, 2013
• Notes from the Cliff: The Deal and Its Impact on Medicare January 3, 2013
• Putting a Donut Hole Back in Medicare: Proposals to Increase Medigap Costs Put Vulnerable Beneficiaries at Risk December 20, 2012
• Warning: Medicare Payment Limits Are Bad for Health! December 13, 2012
• Special Report – Independence of Medicare Administrative Law Judges Threatened by Office of Inspector General’s Recommendations December 6, 2012
• Annual Medicare Payment Limits for Home Health – Even Worse Than Co-Pays for Beneficiaries December 5, 2012
• Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age: A Costly and Dangerous Proposal November 29, 2012
• Deficit Reduction and Medicare: Save Money Without Harming Beneficiaries November 15, 2012
• The Affordable Care Act Moves Forward: What’s Up for 2013 November 8, 2012
• Medicare and ACA Facts and Updates; Jimmo Update November 1, 2012
• CMA in Action: Judith Stein Testifies in Congress on the Ryan Plan to End Medicare October 4, 2012
• Making Sense of Medicare’s Preventive Service Benefits September 20, 2012
• Medicaid, Long Term Care and the Ryan Budget September 10, 2012
• How the Ryan Budget (and Republican Platform) Would Hurt Current Nursing Home Residents August 30, 2012
• We Don’t Need the Ryan Plan − Medicare Is Not Going Broke August 30, 2012
• The $700 Billion Medicare Myth August 16, 2012
• Organizations Unite to Urge Caution in Demonstration Programs Serving Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries July 26, 2012
• House Votes for 33rd Time to Repeal Health Reform July 12, 2012
• Good News for Medicare: Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act July 5, 2012
• Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Reform, Including Improvements to Medicare June 28, 2012
• Cut Through the Rhetoric: Questions to Ask After the Supreme Court ACA Decision June 22, 2012
• MedPAC Reviews Blending Medicare and Medicaid June 21, 2012
• A Reporter’s Checklist for the Impending Obamacare Ruling June 15, 2012
• Center for Medicare Advocacy in Congress, Voicing Concerns on Behalf of Beneficiaries May 10, 2012
• Affordable Care Act in Action: People with Medicare Continue to See Savings May 3, 2012
• Rewarding Mediocrity: GAO Report Concerning Medicare Advantage “Bonus” Payments April 26, 2012
• Fact vs. Fiction: Medicare is Not Going “Bankrupt” April 26, 2012
• Toby Edelman Statement to Senate Committee Regarding Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Facilities April 19, 2012
• Medicare Under Threat: Health Reform Versus the Ryan Budget April 5, 2012
• Health Care Reform On Trial March 29, 2012
• The Second Anniversary of Health Care Reform is Good News Will There be a Third? March 21, 2012
• Bad Apples: Combating Medicare Fraud While Ensuring Access for Beneficiaries March 8, 2012
• Congressional Subcommittee Examines Issues of Dental Health March 8, 2012
• The President’s Proposed 2013 Budget: Impact on Medicare February 17, 2012
• Investing in Our Future: Strengthening Medicare for 2012 and Beyond February 9, 2012
• Payroll Tax Extension Includes Important Provisions for Medicare Beneficiaries December 29, 2011
• Forcing Dual Eligibles Into Private Health Plans is No Quick Fix November 22, 2011
• Supercommittee Update November 17, 2011
• Health Care Reform Update: Where Are We, and What’s Up for 2012? November 10, 2011
• Breaking Good News for Medicare Beneficiaries October 27, 2011
• “Skin in the Game,” Health Equity and Deficit Reduction October 13, 2011
• Medigap – Fact & Fiction October 13, 2011
• The President’s Plan for Economic Growth and Deficit Reduction: A First Look at the Impact on Medicare September 29, 2011
• CMS to Begin Round Two of Its Competitive Bidding Program for the Provision of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) September 1, 2011
• Medicare Reimbursement For Skilled Nursing Facilities Remains High For 2012 Despite Reductions In Overpayments August 25, 2011
• Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age Will Actually INCREASE Costs August 25, 2011
• Medicare Facts & Fiction: 3 More Lessons to Combat Medicare Spin August 16, 2011
• Amended Appeal Rules for Employer and Individual Health Plans August 11, 2011
• Medicare Facts & Fiction: 3 Quick Lessons to Combat Medicare Spin August 9, 2011
• What Does the Debt Ceiling Agreement Mean for Medicare? August 4, 2011
• New Initiatives to Improve Services for Dual Eligibles July 15, 2011
• House Plans Vote to Slash Medicare and Social Security through Balanced Budget Amendment July 15, 2011
• Recommendations for Beneficiary Protections In Models Approved by CMMI July 15, 2011
• Lower-Premium Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans Take Effect in Many States July 7, 2011
• Real Solutions to Save Medicare Dollars in Skilled Nursing Facilities June 30, 2011
• First Appellate Court Rules on Health Reform Law, Holds it Constitutional June 29, 2011
• Why Medicaid Matters to People with Medicare June 16, 2011
• So, What Would You Do? Real Solutions for Medicare Solvency and Reducing the Deficit June 9, 2011
• New Rules for Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans June 2, 2011
• Many Uninsured Individuals with Pre-Existing Conditions Will Find It Easier to Obtain Coverage June 2, 2011
• Combating Fraud, Waste and Abuse in Health Care May 26, 2011
• 2011 Medicare Trustees Report May 19, 2011
• Send Us Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) May 19, 2011
• Preserve Medicaid – Share Your Story! May 19, 2011
• Proposed Notice Requirements About Quality of Care: Endorsement, with Concerns May 5, 2011
• New Hospice Face-to-Face Requirement: Help or Hindrance? April 28, 2011
• Senators Kerry and Snowe, with Representatives Courtney and Latham, Introduce Legislation to Ensure Skilled Care for Seniors April 26, 2011
• Health Care Changes: Challenges to Medicare April 25, 2011
• What Happens to Current Nursing Home Residents if the House Budget Resolution Becomes Law? April 21, 2011
• 25 Years of Medicare Advocacy, and Hope for 25 More April 14, 2011
• Keeping Medicare and Medicaid Strong? April 7, 2011
• Why Medicaid Matters to Medicare Beneficiaries and Their Families April 1, 2011
• Happy Anniversary, Health Care Reform March 23, 2011
• More Nurses in Nursing Homes Would Mean Fewer Patients Headed to Hospitals March 10, 2011
• The Burden of Out-of-Pocket Costs on Medicare Beneficiaries February 24, 2011
• New Hospice Regulations are a Mixed Bag for Beneficiaries Seeking High Quality End of Life Care January 20, 2011
• New Regulations Are a Mixed Bag for Beneficiaries Seeking High Quality End-of-Life Care January 20, 2011
• New Medicare Home Health Regulations: Improvement is Not Required to Obtain Coverage December 30, 2010
• Medicare Changes Effective January 1, 2011 December 30, 2010
• Be Cautious Before Combining Medicare and Medicaid December 23, 2010
• CMA Alert: Medicare Home Health Regs: Improvement NOT Required; Also Extender Act and More December 12, 2010
• Health Care Reform Does Not Cut Medicare Benefits October 28, 2010
• Affordable Care Act Expands Medicare Coverage for Prevention and Wellness September 9, 2010
• Extended Observation Stays in Acute Care Hospitals: Criticism, Legislation and Discussion August 26, 2010
• Medicare's 45th Anniversary: Promise Kept and Promises to Keep July 27, 2010
• The Right to Visit Partners and Others In Medicare Participating Hospitals June 22, 2010
• Health Reform in Action: Donut Hole Rebate Checks Start Arriving June 10, 2010 June 10, 2010
• Don’t “Fix” Medicare Out of Existence March 19, 2008
• Myths About Nursing Home Tort Reforms April 18, 2003

Medicare Summary Articles

• CMS Issues New “Medicare Beneficiaries at a Glance” Statistics September 28, 2022
• “Medicare & You” Continues to Reverse Bias Towards, and More Accurately Describe, Medicare Advantage September 28, 2022
• 2023 Medicare Cost Sharing Released September 28, 2022
• CMS Releases Data re: Medicare and Medicaid March 17, 2022
• Medicare Platform: December 20, 2018
• 2019 Medicare Cost-Sharing Announced October 18, 2018
• CMA Alert – You CAN Leave the Nursing Home; 2018 Cost-Sharing; Enrollment Reminder; Talk Turkey About Taxes November 21, 2017
• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Has Begun – Ends December 7 October 19, 2016
• Minimal Social Security COLA Increase Will Likely Lead to Dramatic Part B Premium Increases for Some, Large Deductible Increase for All, Unless Congress Intervenes October 19, 2016
• People with Medicare Beware: COBRA Is Not Coverage as a “Current” Employee November 24, 2015
• 2016 Cost-Sharing Announced November 12, 2015
• 2015 Medicare Cost Sharing October 9, 2014
• Annual Enrollment for Medicare Advantage & Part D: October 15 – December 7 September 18, 2014
• Good News: Trustees Project Longer Medicare Solvency May 31, 2013
• Medicare’s Future: Letting the Affordable Care Act Work, While Learning From the Past May 7, 2013
• Reminder: Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP) Ends February 14th February 7, 2013
• 2013 Medicare Cost-Sharing December 27, 2012
• Making Sense of Medicare’s Preventive Service Benefits September 20, 2012
• CMS Clarifies When the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (ABN) Must be Issued August 16, 2012
• New Medicare Summary Notice March 8, 2012
• The Medicare Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (ABN): A Tool for Limiting Beneficiary Liability January 26, 2012
• Annual Enrollment Starts October 15 and Ends December 7 for Medicare Part C & Part D Plans September 22, 2011
• 2011 Medicare Trustees Report May 19, 2011
• Send Us Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) April 25, 2011
• Quick Medicare Facts & Statistics February 9, 2011
• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Started November 15, 2010: Time to Review Coverage Options November 18, 2010
• 2011 Medicare Cost Sharing Details November 10, 2010
• CMS Issues Final Rules for Medicare Appeals January 14, 2010

Medicare Coverage Appeals Articles

Medicare Coverage for People with Disabilities Articles

Medicare and Mental Health Services Articles

• Equity Impacts of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Cost-Sharing January 19, 2023
• Medicare Provisions in Year-End Spending Bill January 5, 2023
• Reminder from CMS – May is Mental Health Awareness Month May 7, 2020
• Medicare Can Help People In Rural Areas Access Mental Health Care August 13, 2015
• Medicare and Mental Health March 14, 2013

Medicare and Hospice Care Articles

• Study: People with Dementia Receive Less Home Health and Hospice Care in Their Final Months February 23, 2023
• Gaps in Hospice Abuse and Neglect Reporting January 12, 2023
• NAHC and CMA Announce New Hospice Resource for Consumers December 12, 2022
• Recent Rules and Guidance Address Transparency in Hospice Coverage November 12, 2020
• Government Watchdog Agency Issues Report Highlighting “Significant Vulnerabilities” in Medicare’s Hospice Benefit July 11, 2019
• Inspector General Reports Concerns About Medicare Hospice Care August 9, 2018
• Observation Status Impedes Access to End-of-Life Skilled Nursing Facility Care November 3, 2016
• Medicare Hospice Care: Palliative vs. Curative July 26, 2016
• The Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments on Proposed Rule for Hospice June 22, 2016
• National Healthcare Decisions Day: April 16, 2016 January 20, 2016
• Husband Reimbursed for Dying Wife’s Medication After Trying to Appeal Hospice Denial for Nearly Eight Years November 18, 2015
• Hospice Quick Reference November 17, 2015
• 26. Medicare Needs a Timely Way for Patients to Appeal Hospice Denials June 22, 2015
• Hospice Patients’ Rights Enhanced by New Medicare Rule October 2, 2014
• Hospice and Access to Medications Update: CMS Replacement Guidance July 24, 2014
• The Center Joins 26 Other Organizations in Calling for Suspension of Hospice and Part D Guidance June 12, 2014
• Tinkering With Hospice: The Medicare Care Choices Model April 24, 2014
• Hospice and Access to Medications – New CMS Guidance April 10, 2014
• Medicare Hospice Care: We Want Your Stories! January 9, 2014
• Hospice – Care When It’s Needed Most October 20, 2011
• New Hospice Face-to-Face Requirement: Help or Hindrance? April 28, 2011
• New Hospice Regulations are a Mixed Bag for Beneficiaries Seeking High Quality End of Life Care January 20, 2011
• Hospice News: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly October 20, 2009

Medicare Part B Articles

• Wheelchair Seat Elevation Systems Should be Covered by Medicare August 25, 2022
• Beneficiary Access to Complex Rehabilitation Wheelchair Accessories Protected August 5, 2021
• New Opioid Treatment Program Benefit in Part B January 23, 2020
• CMS Extends “Equitable Relief” from Part B Late Enrollment Penalties for People Moving from ACA Marketplace Plans to Medicare October 31, 2019
• Medicare Coverage for Genetic Tests: Know the Facts May 2, 2019
• Home Infusion Therapy Services March 13, 2019
• Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Updates January 24, 2019
• Don’t Fall for the Distraction: The President’s Prescription Drug Proposal is Much Ado About Much Too Little October 30, 2018
• Congress DID Repeal Outpatient Therapy Caps Despite Lack of Information on Medicare.gov March 1, 2018
• Congress Repeals Medicare Outpatient Therapy Caps, Strengthening the Jimmo Settlement Agreement February 14, 2018
• Outpatient Therapy Caps: What Now? January 31, 2018
• Minimal Social Security COLA Increase Will Likely Lead to Dramatic Part B Premium Increases for Some, Large Deductible Increase for All, Unless Congress Intervenes October 19, 2016
• CMS Proposes Changes in How It Pays for Part B Drugs March 23, 2016
• Time for Medicare to Cover Audiology Care March 16, 2016
• House Passes Budget Agreement That Would Reduce Dramatic Rise in Part B Costs for Beneficiaries – Bill Moves to Senate; Advocates Remain Concerned About Underlying Causes October 28, 2015
• Solution to Medicare Part B Cost Increases? Look at “Outpatient” Observation Status October 23, 2015
• Part B and the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) October 15, 2015
• Advocacy Organizations Support Legislation to Mitigate Huge Part B Premium/Deductible Increases October 8, 2015
• Center Urges Action on Drastic Part B Premium Increase October 1, 2015
• The Medicare Dental Exclusion: Is it Being Used to Deny Vulnerable Beneficiaries Needed Care? May 28, 2015
• Medicare Takes a Big Step Forward to Help People Communicate – But There’s More to Do April 30, 2015
• Welcome Reprieve for People Who Need Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) To Communicate November 7, 2014
• Medical Equipment Suppliers’ Ongoing Opposition to the Competitive Bidding Program and Consequences for Beneficiaries November 6, 2014
• Medicare and Telemedicine (or Telehealth) August 7, 2014
• The DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Process: Is It Working? June 26, 2014
• Medicare’s Reluctance to Embrace Technology: Effects on the Coverage of Speech Generating Devices June 5, 2014
• Medicare Physician Payment – Another One-Year Fix Passes Congress, With Usual “Extenders” and Some New, Permanent Payment Policies April 3, 2014
• Medicare Therapy Caps: A Call for Repeal January 16, 2014
• New Report: Expanded Dental Coverage Needed to Confront Health Crisis October 24, 2013
• Medicare’s National Mail Order Program for Diabetic Testing Supplies June 20, 2013
• Let DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Proceed While Addressing Identified Problems and Concerns June 13, 2013
• Medicare and Mental Health March 14, 2013
• Making Sense of Medicare’s Preventive Service Benefits September 20, 2012
• Center for Medicare Advocacy in Congress, Voicing Concerns on Behalf of Beneficiaries May 10, 2012
• Congressional Subcommittee Examines Issues of Dental Health March 8, 2012
• Reminder: Medicare Covers Obesity Prevention with No Cost-Sharing January 5, 2012
• Breaking Good News for Medicare Beneficiaries October 27, 2011
• CMS to Begin Round Two of Its Competitive Bidding Program for the Provision of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) September 1, 2011
• FAQs on Preventive Services August 17, 2011
• Medicare Coverage of Power Mobility Devices: Tips and Reminders March 28, 2011
• Medicare Coverage of Power Mobility Devices: Tips and Reminders April 3, 2008

Medicare Part D Articles

• Implementation of Medicare Drug Bill Proceeds – This Progress Must be Defended March 2, 2023
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Comments on Proposed Part C & D Rule February 16, 2023
• Critical Provisions of Medicare Drug Bill Already Taking Effect January 19, 2023
• CMS Issues Proposed Rules Impacting Medicare Advantage – Part C & D Rule for 2024, and Separate Prior Authorization Rule December 15, 2022
• Provisions of Recently Passed Medicare Drug Bill in Effect Next Month – January 2023 December 8, 2022
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Sues, Again, for Coverage of “Off-label” Prescription Drug December 1, 2022
• President Biden Signs Inflation Reduction Act into Law – Includes Critical Medicare Prescription Drug Provisions August 18, 2022
• Senate Poised to Vote on Important Bill with Valuable Medicare Drug Provisions August 4, 2022
• CMS Needs to Rein in Medicare Advantage Overpayments and Heighten Oversight of Insurance Industry March 10, 2022
• CMS Releases Proposed 2023 Rule for Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans January 13, 2022
• Study Finds Cost-Sharing Increases Can be Deadly February 25, 2021
• Final 2022 Rule for Medicare Parts C and D Released By Trump Administration February 4, 2021
• Dismantling the Affordable Care Act Would Harm Medicare and Medicare Beneficiaries October 22, 2020
• Senators Release Report Concerning Postal Service Problems and Delays in Receipt of Mail-Order Drugs September 10, 2020
• Center Letter Re: Impact of Postal Service Delays on Medicare Beneficiaries September 10, 2020
• Final Rule for Medicare Parts C and D Includes Weakened Standards for Medicare Advantage Networks May 28, 2020
• CMS Announces Voluntary Part D Program to Reduce Insulin Out-of-Pocket Costs for Some Enrollees May 28, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments on Proposed Medicare Parts C and D Rule April 9, 2020
• House Passes Historic Medicare Expansion Bill – H.R. 3 December 12, 2019
• House to Vote on Historic Medicare Bill Next Week December 5, 2019
• House Companion to Part D Extra Help Bill Introduced October 3, 2019
• Speaker Pelosi Unveils Bill Authorizing Negotiation of Drug Prices and Capping Out-of-Pocket Costs September 26, 2019
• Part D Legislation Markup Today: Improve Beneficiary Appeals July 25, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to House Ways & Means and Energy & Commerce Committees on Draft Part D Legislation June 13, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to CMS’ Draft 2020 Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Part D March 7, 2019
• State of the Union: Want More Affordable Prescription Drugs? Start with Medicare. February 7, 2019
• Center Submits Comments on Proposed Medicare Prescription Drug Rule January 31, 2019
• Congressional Hearings Explore Rising Prescription Drug Costs January 31, 2019
• Don’t Fall for the Distraction: The President’s Prescription Drug Proposal is Much Ado About Much Too Little October 30, 2018
• Dual Eligibles and Access to Part D Drugs: Pretty Good News from the OIG July 26, 2018
• The Right Way to Lower Medicare Prescription Drug Costs June 7, 2018
• The Center for Medicare Advocacy and Florida Health Justice Project Sue to Obtain “Off-label” Part D Prescription Drug Coverage for Beneficiary April 19, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to CMS’ Draft 2019 Call Letter for Medicare Advantage and Part D March 8, 2018
• Bill to Control Medicare Prescription Drug Costs Introduced March 8, 2018
• Center Urges CMS to Preserve and Strengthen Consumer Protections in Medicare Advantage and Part D April 26, 2017
• Preview – 2017 Part D Standard Benefit & Other Threshold Amounts September 20, 2016
• The Center’s Long-Time Concerns Gain Attention August 31, 2016
• Medicare Part D and Off-Label Rx Denials June 29, 2016
• Federal Court Issues Favorable Off-label Part D Drug Coverage Decision May 18, 2016
• Attention Patients and Prescribers of Part D Drugs March 2, 2016
• Remove Barriers to Obtaining Medicare Covered Drugs January 20, 2016
• Office of Inspector General Authorizes Hospitals to Discount or Waive Certain Drug Charges for Patients Classified as “Outpatients” December 10, 2015
• Assistance with Paying for Prescription Drugs November 30, 2015
• Department of Health and Human Services Forum on Drug Pricing and Innovation November 24, 2015
• Kaiser Family Foundation Releases Reports on MA and Part D in 2016 October 15, 2015
• Final 2016 CMS Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D Released April 9, 2015
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to Draft 2016 Call Letter for Medicare Parts C and D March 12, 2015
• 2016 Medicare Advantage (Part C) and Part D Final Rule Issued February 19, 2015
• Update on MA and Part D Plans October 23, 2014
• 2015 Medicare Cost Sharing October 9, 2014
• Hospice and Access to Medications Update: CMS Replacement Guidance July 24, 2014
• The Center Joins 26 Other Organizations in Calling for Suspension of Hospice and Part D Guidance June 12, 2014
• Submitting Claims to Part D for Prescription Drugs Administered in the Hospital During an Observation Status Stay May 1, 2014
• Hospice and Access to Medications – New CMS Guidance April 10, 2014
• 2014 Income and Resource Information for Medicare Low-Income Programs February 6, 2014
• Medicare Prescription Drug Rebate Debate November 21, 2013
• The Medicare Annual Coordinated Election Period Has Begun! October 17, 2013
• Debunking Medicare Myths: Drug Rebates for Dual Eligibles May 8, 2013
• Reminder: Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP) Ends February 14th February 7, 2013
• Deficit Reduction and Medicare: Save Money Without Harming Beneficiaries November 15, 2012
• Picking a Plan During the Annual Enrollment Period? Choose Carefully October 18, 2012
• Impact of Budget Control Act and Sequestration on Aids Drug Assistance Programs September 24, 2012
• Increased Funding for AIDS Drugs Assistance Program Responds to Need for Additional HIV/AIDS Services August 23, 2012
• Affordable Care Act in Action: People with Medicare Continue to See Savings May 3, 2012
• New Medicare Part D Pharmacy Notice Rule In Effect; Stay Tuned for Final Model Notice January 5, 2012
• Medicare Advantage and Part D Changes and Enrollment Updates October 6, 2011
• Annual Enrollment Starts October 15 and Ends December 7 for Medicare Part C & Part D Plans September 22, 2011
• New Rules for Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans June 2, 2011
• CMS Sends Out Reminders to LIS-Eligible Medicare Beneficiaries May 26, 2011
• Help Someone Retain Part D Extra Help March 17, 2011
• Extension of Time to Enroll In a Prescription Drug Plan for Medicare Beneficiaries Who Lost Coverage February 10, 2011
• 2011 Poverty Levels Affect Eligibility for Many Federal Programs January 27, 2011
• 45 Day Disenrollment Period for Medicare Advantage Members January 6, 2011
• Court Emphatically Rejects Beneficiaries’ Right to Sue a Part D Plan When the Plan Delays Enrollment September 30, 2010
• CMA REPORT: MEDICARE COVERAGE FOR OFF-LABEL DRUG USE September 16, 2010
• Health Reform in Action: Donut Hole Rebate Checks Start Arriving June 10, 2010 June 10, 2010
• LI NET: More Help for Dually-Eligible People December 24, 2009
• Part Covered, Part Not: "Straddle Claims" in Medicare Part D July 24, 2008

Medicare Savings Programs Articles

• MSP/LIS Updates February 9, 2023
• Helpful News for Some Lower Income Medicare Beneficiaries July 19, 2018
• 2018 CT Medicare Savings Programs January 10, 2018
• CMA Alert – The REST of the Tax Cut Plan; “Jimmo” Improvement Standard Update; QMB News; Enrollment Periods End Soon November 30, 2017
• CMA Alert – Changes to Help QMBs; Home Health Updates; ACA Sabotage October 4, 2017
• Medicare General Enrollment Period Runs January through March 31; Offers Opportunities for Help Paying Medicare Cost-Sharing February 17, 2016
• CMS Report Finds Access to Care Problems for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries August 27, 2015
• Medicare Physician Payment – Another One-Year Fix Passes Congress, With Usual “Extenders” and Some New, Permanent Payment Policies April 3, 2014
• 2014 Income and Resource Information for Medicare Low-Income Programs February 6, 2014
• The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act: Improving Enrollment in the Medicare Savings Program Five Years Later July 11, 2013
• Medicare Cost-Sharing for Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries January 19, 2012
• Help Someone Retain Part D Extra Help March 17, 2011
• Pennsylvania Lawsuit Increases Access to Medicare for Low-Income Beneficiaries February 14, 2011
• 2011 Poverty Levels Affect Eligibility for Many Federal Programs January 27, 2011
• Recommendations for a Beneficiary-Centered Office for Dual Eligibles July 22, 2010
• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Advises States About Medicare Savings Program Enrollment March 1, 2010
• LI NET: More Help for Dually-Eligible People December 24, 2009
• Medicare Cost-Sharing for Dual Eligibles: Who Pays What for Whom? April 24, 2008

Medicare Secondary Payer Programs Articles

• MSP Reporting Threshold Change – 2/18/2014 February 20, 2014
• Medicare Secondary Payer: Web Portal to Collect Data on Conditional Payment Amounts and Claims Detail October 3, 2013
• New CMS Website: Medicare Secondary Payer Conditional Payment Information February 21, 2013
• Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Program: Proposed Rules for the Treatment of Funds Intended for Future Medical Expenses August 2, 2012
• CMS Revises Its Medicare Secondary Payer Collection Letters Following Haro v. Sebelius Decision July 28, 2011
• Medicare Secondary Payer Practices that Harm Medicare Beneficiaries May 12, 2011
• Medicare Secondary Payer Collection Requirements for Insurers Threaten Beneficiary Rights February 17, 2011
• Limits on Medicare’s Recovery Health Care Payments When the Beneficiary Has Liabaility or Workers’ Compensation Insurance September 17, 2009

Medigap Articles

• Traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage? February 9, 2023
• CMA Senior Policy Atty. Kata Kertesz Publishes Article on Need for Medigap Protections July 18, 2022
• Connecticut Expands Medigap Options for Medicare Beneficiaries Under Age 65 July 1, 2021
• Article Raises Concerns about Medicare Advantage and Calls Attention to Limited Medigap Access April 25, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: Ensure Medigap Access January 10, 2019
• CMS to Clarify Medigap Section of the Medicare.gov Plan Finder Tool November 20, 2018
• Medigap News: Disparities in Enrollment Rights; Bill Introduced to Strengthen Medigap Access and Protections July 19, 2018
• Barriers to Medigap Coverage for Beneficiaries Under Age 65 October 26, 2016
• Putting a Donut Hole Back in Medicare: Proposals to Increase Medigap Costs Put Vulnerable Beneficiaries at Risk December 20, 2012
• Medigap Rates December 1, 2011
• Medigap – Fact & Fiction October 13, 2011
• Health Reform Mandates Changes for Medigap Policies January 7, 2011

Observation Status Articles

• Increased Use of Observation Stays Undermined Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program December 8, 2022
• Reminder: Questions or Comments on Proposed Clarification in Hospital “Observation Status” Case Due November 25 November 17, 2022
• Medicare Announces Development of Appeal Process for Certain Hospital “Observation Status” Patients July 28, 2022
• It’s Time: Repeal the 3-Day Inpatient Hospital Requirement for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage February 10, 2022
• Court Upholds Right to Appeal for Certain Medicare Beneficiaries on “Observation Status” January 27, 2022
• HHS Inspector General Calls on CMS to Address Medicare Observation Status November 11, 2021
• Appeals Court Temporarily Pauses Implementation of Observation Status Decision While Considering Government’s Request for a Stay July 22, 2021
• Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program Misses Nearly 20% of Hospital Stays in “Observation Status” June 24, 2021
• Senators Introduce Bipartisan Observation Status Bill to Help Vulnerable Medicare Beneficiaries June 17, 2021
• Observation Status Bill Reintroduced June 10, 2021
• It’s Time to Repeal the 3-Day Inpatient Hospital Requirement for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage February 11, 2021
• Government Seeks to Stop Implementation of Court Order in Hospital Observation Status Case January 21, 2021
• “Observation Status” May Disproportionately Burden Medicare Beneficiaries in the Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods December 17, 2020
• Federal Court Orders Appeal Rights for Some Observation Status Patients: More Advocacy is Needed April 16, 2020
• Frequently Asked Questions about Observation Status Court Decision April 9, 2020
• Frequently Asked Questions about the “Observation Status” Court Decision April 7, 2020
• CMS Temporarily Waives Medicare Access Barriers for Skilled Nursing Facility Care March 26, 2020
• Federal Court Orders Appeal Rights on “Observation Status” Issue for Certain Medicare Hospital Patients March 24, 2020
• Accountable Care Organizations and Observation Status January 30, 2020
• Administrator Verma’s Tweet Sparks Support for Addressing Observation Status September 12, 2019
• Alexander v. Azar Trial Update – Seeking an Appeal of Outpatient Observation Status August 22, 2019
• CMS Administrator Acknowledges that Prior Inpatient Hospital Rules Do Not Make Sense August 8, 2019
• More Doors to Medicare Home Health Closing, More Harm for Observation Status Patients July 18, 2019
• Observation Status and Surprise Medical Bills July 11, 2019
• Congressional Hearing on Surprise Medical Bills; Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Statement on Observation Status May 23, 2019
• Observation Status Deprives Medicare Beneficiaries of their Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit. Period. April 11, 2019
• Observation Status: Physicians Challenge the Inspector General March 28, 2019
• Members of Congress Reintroduce Legislation to Fix Outpatient Observation Status March 14, 2019
• Improve and Expand Medicare: End the Use of Outpatient Observation Status – A Billing Issue that Restricts Needed Care February 28, 2019
• Improve Medicare: Correct Medicare Hospital Observation Status January 3, 2019
• Study: Three-Day Hospital Requirement for Post-Hospital Care In a Skilled Nursing Facility Increases Medicare Costs October 4, 2018
• Does Observation Status Undercut Claims that Hospital Readmissions Have Been Reduced?  MedPAC Says No, Research Says Yes. June 21, 2018
• NPR Observation Status Story: How Medicare’s Conflicting Hospitalization Rules Cost Me Thousands Of Dollars April 26, 2018
• Hospitalists Continue to Oppose Observation Status and Call for Significant Change March 1, 2018
• Annotated Bibliography: Observation Status September 13, 2017
• CMA Alert – Critical Issue Roundup: MA Overpayment; HH Payment; Observation; More August 16, 2017
• Look for the Moon! March 1, 2017
• CMS Issues Instructions Regarding the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) February 15, 2017
• HHS Inspector General: Observation Status is a Growing Problem for Patients January 4, 2017
• Hospitals Must Give Patients Notice of Their Observation Status, Beginning March 8, 2017 December 14, 2016
• Observation Status Impedes Access to End-of-Life Skilled Nursing Facility Care November 3, 2016
• Stop Calling Inpatients Outpatients: Medicare Created Observation Status – Ask Them to Change It! September 23, 2016
• Submit Your Observation Status Story August 29, 2016
• Observation Status Hurts Medicare Beneficiaries – Whether they have NOTICE or Not August 10, 2016
• CMS Delays Implementation of NOTICE Act Until Fall 2016 August 4, 2016
• A Model to Waive the Three-Day Inpatient Hospital Stay Requirement for Care in a Skilled Nursing Facility July 20, 2016
• More on Observation Status: CMS Halts Review of Hospitals’ Compliance with Two-Midnight Rule May 25, 2016
• Observation Status and the NOTICE Act: Advocates Not Over the MOON April 27, 2016
• CMS Hosts Tele Town Hall on Hospital Observation NOTICE Act; Comments Accepted until January 4, 2016 December 23, 2015
• Office of Inspector General Authorizes Hospitals to Discount or Waive Certain Drug Charges for Patients Classified as “Outpatients” December 10, 2015
• Revisions to “Two-Midnight Rule” Do Not Help Hospitalized Medicare Patients in Observation Status December 2, 2015
• Solution to Medicare Part B Cost Increases? Look at “Outpatient” Observation Status October 23, 2015
• Observation Status Again! August 20, 2015
• Observation Status: The NOTICE Act Will Soon Be Law August 6, 2015
• Proposed Revisions to “Two-Midnight” Rule Provide Little, If Any, Relief for Medicare Beneficiaries Stuck in the Hospital in Observation Status July 9, 2015
• Observation Status: Virginia Requires Hospitals to Notify Patients of their Observation Status July 9, 2015
• Saga of an Inpatient Hospital Appeal: Notice and Use of Lifetime Reserve Days and Comments on Observation Status May 21, 2015
• Observation Status Update April 23, 2015
• Observation Status and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission January 22, 2015
• Appeals Court Allows Hospital Patients in “Observation Status” to Continue Court Case January 22, 2015
• Observation Status: Hospitals May Begin Rebilling Medicare Patients Who Were Hospitalized After October 1, 2013 September 4, 2014
• Observation Status: Mixed Messages from Federal Government as Beneficiaries Continue to be Hurt August 14, 2014
• CMS has Authority Under Existing Law to Define Inpatient Care July 16, 2014
• Observation Status – Notice and Appeal June 19, 2014
• Harm from Medicare’s Hospital Observation Status Debated In Congressional Hearing – Center for Medicare Advocacy Presents Beneficiary Perspective May 21, 2014
• Senior Policy Attorney Toby S. Edelman Testifies about Observation Status before Congress May 15, 2014
• Submitting Claims to Part D for Prescription Drugs Administered in the Hospital During an Observation Status Stay May 1, 2014
• New Study: CMS’s New 2-Midnight Rule Increases Hospital’s Use of Observation Status February 20, 2014
• Center and “Observation Status” on NBC Nightly News January 10, 2014
• Three Observation Status Bills Have Been Introduced; Only Congressman Courtney’s Has Immediate Promise November 27, 2013
• New CMS Rules Do NOT Change Requirement for 3-Day Qualifying Inpatient Hospital Stay October 31, 2013
• Disappointing Decision from Court in Challenge to “Observation Status” Highlights Need to Pass Legislation September 26, 2013
• Observation Status Round Up September 5, 2013
• Observation Status: New Final Rules from CMS Do Not Help Medicare Beneficiaries August 29, 2013
• Observation Status: OIG Provides an Analysis and CMS Issues Final Regulations August 8, 2013
• Observation Status: “Morphed Into Madness” August 1, 2013
• CMS Addresses Observation Status Again… And Again, No Help for Beneficiaries May 16, 2013
• End Observation Status! May 7, 2013
• CMS’ Proposed Rules on Observation Status Would Not Help Beneficiaries March 28, 2013
• Bills Concerning Hospital Observation Status Reintroduced March 21, 2013
• Déjà Vu All Over Again: CMS Decides (Again) Not to Decide About Observation Status November 20, 2012
• CMS Invites Public Comment on Observation Status August 9, 2012
• More Concerns About Observation Status: Hospitals Join the Chorus July 12, 2012
• Brown University Confirms Observation Continues to Replace Hospital Admission Status June 7, 2012
• Reducing Rehospitalizations… The Right Way March 1, 2012
• Preserving Access to Necessary Care: Ending Hospital “Observation Status” November 3, 2011
• Congressman Joe Courtney and Center for Medicare Advocacy Hold Congressional Briefing on Observation Status October 24, 2011
• Study Finds that Use of Hospitalists Shifts Costs from Inpatient Care to Post-Discharge Setting September 8, 2011
• CMA And Others Support Legislation to End “Observation Status” June 21, 2011
• Senators Kerry and Snowe, with Representatives Courtney and Latham, Introduce Legislation to Ensure Skilled Care for Seniors April 26, 2011
• Extended Observation Stays in Acute Care Hospitals: Criticism, Legislation and Discussion August 26, 2010
• Overcoming Barriers to Medicare Coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility Care March 10, 2010
• Observation Services: What Can Beneficiaries and Advocates Do? February 18, 2010
• Keeping Hospital Patients on “Observation Status” Rather Than Admitting Them Harms SNF Patients As Well As Hospital Patients April 19, 2001
• Lormore v. Shalala – Center Successfully Settles "Observation" Case April 19, 2001

Quality of Care Articles

• Gaps in Hospice Abuse and Neglect Reporting January 12, 2023
• Study Finds Relationship Between Religiously Affiliated Nursing Homes and Standard of Care Complaints and Violations April 21, 2022
• Second State Report Recommends Barring Medicaid Payments to Chronically Poor-Performing Nursing Facilities February 10, 2022
• Elder Justice Newletter, Vol. 3 Issue 8 Now Available July 8, 2021
• Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 6 Now Available April 29, 2021
• Oscar Nominated Documentary Goes Undercover in Chilean Nursing Home April 22, 2021
• Special Report – Nursing Homes Cited with Infection Control Deficiencies During the Pandemic: Poor Results In Health Inspections, Low Staffing Levels June 17, 2020
• CDC’s Report on Coronavirus in a Seattle Nursing Facility: What it Tells Us About Staffing Problems Nationwide; What We Must Do to Address Lessons Learned April 9, 2020
• Changes Coming to CMS Websites for Consumers February 13, 2020
• Study Finds Nursing Home Compare Data about Patient Falls with Major Injuries Underreported and “Highly Inaccurate” January 30, 2020
• Medicare SNF Payment Model Creates Changes in Care and Admissions – What about Facility Assessments? January 30, 2020
• Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents Act of 2019 December 5, 2019
• Poorly Performing Skilled Nursing Facilities: What Happens to Them? November 7, 2019
• Nursing Home Compare’s Abuse Icon is Now Live October 24, 2019
• Nursing Home Deregulation Continues, Despite Substantial Risk to Residents September 5, 2019
• Federal Reports Find Incidents of Nursing Home Resident Abuse Are on the Rise but also Underreported August 1, 2019
• Nursing Home “Quality Measures” Do Not Reflect Quality of Nursing Home Care July 3, 2019
• Special Report – “Graduates” From the Special Focus Facility Program Provide Poor Care June 20, 2019
• Senators Release Secret List of Poor Quality Nursing Homes June 6, 2019
• Nursing Home Compare Inaccurately Reports Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities May 30, 2019
• Protecting Nursing Home Residents from Reckless Operators May 16, 2019
• Latest Issue – Elder Justice Newsletter April 18, 2019
• Transfer and Discharge Deficiencies Cited Since 2017: Surveyors Focus On paperwork, Not Residents’ Rights September 20, 2018
• House Committee Holds Hearing on Nursing Home Quality Issues September 13, 2018
• Elder Justice: What “No Harm” Really Means for Residents – Latest Issue August 16, 2018
• Special Focus Nursing Facilities that “Have Not Improved:” Poor Care for Residents, Overall Ratings Artificially Boosted by 5-Star Ratings in Self-Reported Quality Measures August 15, 2018
• Nursing Facilities’ “Quality Measures” Do Not Reflect Actual Quality of Care Provided to Residents August 9, 2018
• CMS Reverses Obama Policy on Nursing Home Quality Enforcement June 21, 2018
• Take a Moment to Acknowledge World Elder Abuse Awareness Day June 14, 2018
• Corporate Integrity Agreements and Nursing Homes May 10, 2018
• Nursing Home Roundup April 12, 2018
• Alert – Tax Cut Harm Just Got Worse; This Week in Sabotage; CMS Pushing MA Plans; SNF Deregulation November 15, 2017
• CMA Alert – OIG Warns of Abuse in SNFs; Ted Kennedy, Jr. Joins CMA Advisory Board; “Jimmo” Corrective Action Plan August 30, 2017
• CMA Alert – Joint Replacement Model Undermines Care; OTC Hearing Aids Legislation Passed; More August 23, 2017
• Nursing Home “Advancing Excellence” Quality Program Ends after a Decade November 16, 2016
• Don’t be Fooled by the Federal Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System October 5, 2016
• Proper Use of Electronic Health Records Could Enhance Patient Care July 14, 2016
• Medicare’s Value-Based Purchasing Program for Hospitals: Paying More to Low-Cost Hospitals That Provide Low Quality Care July 6, 2016
• New Report Highlights National Epidemic of Medical Errors May 25, 2016
• Reducing Hospital Readmissions by Addressing the Causes April 18, 2016
• International Study: Privatization of Long-Term Care Facilities Does Not Lead to Greater Transparency or More Care March 23, 2016
• RNs and CNAs Work Fewer Hours in Nursing Facilities that Serve Predominately Ethnic and Racial Minority Residents January 27, 2016
• Yet Again, Value-Based Purchasing Did Not Improve Quality December 16, 2015
• Discharge Planning: Tips for Evaluating a Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility Placement Choices November 17, 2015
• Advancing Excellence: Very Few Nursing Homes are “Full Active Participants” and Nearly Half of Them Provide Poor Care June 18, 2015
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Co-Authors Report Published by the Kaiser Family Foundation Comparing Consumer Protections in Major Health Plans March 26, 2015
• Changes to Nursing Home Compare and the Five Star Quality Rating System February 26, 2015
• Changes to Nursing Home Compare: Some Good, Some Bad November 20, 2014
• CMS Restructures Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program July 17, 2014
• The Myth of Improved Quality in Nursing Home Care: Setting the Record Straight Again April 17, 2014
• CMA Report: Examining Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Facilities December 12, 2013
• Debunking Nursing Home Myths about Quality of Care and Enforcement of Federal Care Standards September 12, 2013
• Medicare Paid $5.1 Billion to SNFs that Did Not Provide Care-Planning and Discharge-Planning (February 2013 OIG Report) April 18, 2013
• Nursing Home Enforcement by United States Attorneys: What Happened to the Regulatory System? February 7, 2013
• The Worst-Performing Nursing Facilities Are Seldom Sanctioned; Self-Reporting is Not an Accurate Quality Measurement January 24, 2013
• Picking a Plan During the Annual Enrollment Period? Choose Carefully October 18, 2012
• New Procedures for Review of Quality of Care Complaints September 27, 2012
• Compare Hospitals or Nursing Homes Using Medicare’s Online Tools July 20, 2012
• National Alzheimer’s Plan: A Step Forward, More Work Ahead May 17, 2012
• Low Staffing in Nursing Homes Leads to More Deaths May 3, 2012
• Medicare Hospital Readmissions May 2, 2012
• Voluntary Nursing Home Improvement Campaign Does Not Work January 11, 2012
• Special Focus Facility Study: Nursing Facilities’ Self-Regulation Cannot Replace Independent Surveys December 22, 2011
• Toby Edelman Testifies Before Senate Special Committee Regarding Antipsychotics In Nursing Homes December 1, 2011
• Study Finds that Use of Hospitalists Shifts Costs from Inpatient Care to Post-Discharge Setting September 8, 2011
• Proposed Notice Requirements About Quality of Care: Endorsement, with Concerns May 5, 2011
• Private Medicare Plans Do Not Offer Better Health Outcomes August 28, 2010
• Accountable Care Organizations Should Increase Care Coordination in Traditional Medicare July 1, 2010
• Health Reform: Linking Medicare Payment to Quality Outcome June 24, 2010
• New GAO Report Demonstrates Need for Stronger Enforcement of Nursing Home Quality Standards: Health Reform Provisions Could Help May 20, 2010
• A New Entity from Health Reform: The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation May 6, 2010
• Establishing A Coordinated Care Benefit In The Traditional Medicare Program April 9, 2009
• Consumer Assessment of Health Care Providers and Systems (CAHPS) July 31, 2008
• Addressing Concerns about Quality of Care For Medicare Beneficiaries August 30, 2007
• Myths About Nursing Home Tort Reforms April 18, 2003

Rehabilitation Care Articles

• Patients Need Therapy – Medicare Payment Systems Create Barriers December 12, 2019
• New Fact Sheet Available – Medicare Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital/Facility Coverage In Light of Jimmo v. Sebelius April 11, 2019
• CMS Clarifies 3-Hour “Rule” Should Not Preclude Medicare-Covered Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital Care March 15, 2018
• Value of Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital Care Reaffirmed May 18, 2016
• Saga of an Inpatient Hospital Appeal: Notice and Use of Lifetime Reserve Days and Comments on Observation Status May 21, 2015
• No Site Neutral Payments for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing Facilities December 11, 2014
• Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing facilities: Vive La Difference! July 31, 2014

Skilled Nursing Facilities Articles

• US House Effort To Support Nurse Staffing Ratios For Nursing Facilities March 16, 2023
• Emergency Preparedness for Long-Term Care Facilities March 9, 2023
• President Biden: Count Only Nursing Staff in Nurse Staffing Ratios March 2, 2023
• Report: Nursing Home Closures in Iowa Exemplify General Pattern February 23, 2023
• CMS Proposes Rules On Ownership Disclosure for Nursing Facilities February 16, 2023
• GAO: Make Nursing Home Ownership Information “More Transparent for Consumers” February 9, 2023
• Report | Too Much Secrecy in The Nursing Home Enforcement System February 2, 2023
• Connecticut Coalition of Resident Council Presidents Urge Lawmakers to Prioritize Nursing Home Staffing Challenges February 2, 2023
• Nursing Home Residents Need Nurses, Wherever They Live February 2, 2023
• HHS Office of Inspector General: Nursing Home COVID-19 Underscores Need for Better Staffing and Improved Surveys January 26, 2023
• CMS Improves Public Reporting of Nursing Home Information January 19, 2023
• Conviction of Florida Nursing Home Operator Affirmed January 12, 2023
• Elder Justice “No Harm” Newsletter | Volume 4, Issue 6 Now Available January 12, 2023
• Vaccinated Staff Equals Fewer Nursing Home Deaths – Require Boosters January 5, 2023
• Require Full Disclosure & Accountability for Nursing Home Reimbursement January 5, 2023
• Nursing Homes: Addressing the Worst Operator Behaviors under Existing Law December 22, 2022
• HHS Inspector General: Too Many Nursing Home Residents Still Inappropriately Receive Psychotropic Medications December 8, 2022
• Nursing Home Reform: Where Are We Now? Where Do We Need to Go? December 1, 2022
• Report | Trained Workers in Nursing Homes, a Requirement Since 1990, Threatened December 1, 2022
• Home for the Holidays | Leaving the Nursing Home During a Medicare-Covered Stay During the Coronavirus Pandemic November 17, 2022
• Long-Stay Nursing Facility Placements for Younger People Are Increasing October 27, 2022
• Supreme Court to Hear Nursing Home Case with Broad Implications for Litigation to Enforce Federal Laws October 27, 2022
• Elder Justice “No Harm” Newsletter | Vol. 4, Issue 5 Now Available October 19, 2022
• CMS Must Strengthen Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Home October 13, 2022
• CMS and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Address Illegal Debt Collection Practices of Nursing Facilities September 14, 2022
• Private Equity and Nursing Facilities: A Bad Combination for Residents September 8, 2022
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Wants to Hear about Nursing Home Debt Collection September 1, 2022
• CMS Authorizes New Waivers of Nurse Aide Training Requirements for Nursing Facilities September 1, 2022
• CMS Hosts Public Call on Nursing Home Staffing on August 29 August 25, 2022
• CMS Encourages Health Care Providers to Prepare for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency August 25, 2022
• New from the Center: Form to Contest Multiple Medicare Denials Issued by Medicare Advantage Plans August 25, 2022
• Report: Nursing Home MA Issues Survey August 18, 2022
• Nursing Home Trade Group Asks for New Waiver of Nurse Aide Training Requirements August 18, 2022
• Nursing Home Roundup August 11, 2022
• Nurse Staffing Study Confirms Nursing Home Resident Deaths Increased When Nurse Staffing Levels Declined During Pandemic July 28, 2022
• CMS Announces Changes to Staffing Measure in Five-Star Rating System; Staffing Ratings Decline for One-Third of Nursing Facilities July 28, 2022
• Improving Nursing Home Staffing Levels Can And Must Be Done July 21, 2022
• Special Report | Nursing Home Closures: Causes and Solutions July 14, 2022
• New York State’s For-Profit Nursing Facilities’ Related-Party Transactions Hide High Profits July 14, 2022
• CMS Acts to Implement Revised Nursing Home Standards of Care July 7, 2022
• Nursing Home Staffing at All-Time Low; Which Solutions Will Help? June 23, 2022
• Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicare Spending for Skilled Nursing Facilities Increased During Pandemic, While Fewer Residents Were Covered June 9, 2022
• Comments On Mandatory Staffing Ratios for Nursing Homes Due to CMS by June 10 May 26, 2022
• Fewer Residents Died from COVID in Unionized Nursing Homes May 12, 2022
• Nursing Home Staffing and Immigration April 28, 2022
• Study Finds Relationship Between Religiously Affiliated Nursing Homes and Standard of Care Complaints and Violations April 21, 2022
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Medicare Part A Payments to Skilled Nursing Facilities Published – CMS Requests Information About Nurse Staffing April 21, 2022
• CMS Begins Process of Setting Mandatory Nurse Staffing Standards for Nursing Facilities April 14, 2022
• Federal Government Must Enact and Enforce Nurse Staffing Standards for Nursing Facilities April 14, 2022
• National Academy of Sciences’ Nursing Home Report Continues the Drumbeat for Reform April 7, 2022
• Instability In Staffing Levels at Nursing Homes Affects Quality of Care for Residents March 24, 2022
• Connecticut Legislation Takes Aim at Nursing Home Temporary Staffing Agencies March 10, 2022
• Case Against Nursing Facility Alleging Negligence and Wrongful Death From COVID-19 Affirmed to Belong in State Court March 3, 2022
• Biden Administration Issues Bold and Comprehensive Nursing Home Reform Agenda March 3, 2022
• Nursing Homes Lose Almost All Formal Appeals of Deficiencies and Civil Money Penalties February 24, 2022
• What Happened to Harm and Jeopardy Deficiencies Cited – and Penalties Imposed – at Nursing Facilities? February 24, 2022
• CMS Tells Public to File Complaints About Quality of Care with CMS Locations February 17, 2022
• Issue Brief | States Are Weakening Training Standards for Nursing Facility Aides February 15, 2022
• Second State Report Recommends Barring Medicaid Payments to Chronically Poor-Performing Nursing Facilities February 10, 2022
• What’s Happening in the Nursing Home Industry? February 10, 2022
• It’s Time: Repeal the 3-Day Inpatient Hospital Requirement for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage February 10, 2022
• Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients with Disabilities Linked to Longer Stays & Greater Risk of Readmission February 3, 2022
• New York Nursing Homes Suing the State Received Federal Provider Relief Funds February 3, 2022
• Former Owner of Skyline Faces Numerous Criminal and Civil Lawsuits January 27, 2022
• Report | How Do Nursing Homes Spend the Reimbursement They Receive for Care? January 26, 2022
• New Study: Men Report Worse Quality of Life Nursing Homes January 20, 2022
• HHS Office of Inspector General Reports Inadequate CMS Oversight and Enforcement of States’ Nursing Home Surveys January 20, 2022
• CT Governor Issues Executive Order Requiring Nursing Home Visitors Have Vaccine and Booster or Proof of Negative COVID Test – CT Long Term Care Ombudsman Expresses Support and Offers Assistance if Needed January 20, 2022
• CMS Again Revises Visitation Guidance in Nursing Facilities January 13, 2022
• CMS to Post Nursing Home Staff Turnover and Weekend Staffing Level Information on Care Compare January 13, 2022
• CMS Revises November Visitation Guidance after Nursing Home Industry Calls on CMS to Allow Facilities to “Limit, Restrict, or Prohibit Visitors” December 23, 2021
• Vaccination of Nursing Home Staff Correlated with Fewer Cases and Deaths among Residents December 16, 2021
• CMS Will Now Post All Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities December 16, 2021
• Build Back Better Act: House and Senate Nursing Home Provisions Compared December 16, 2021
• Courts Order Preliminary Injunctions Against Vaccination Mandate for Medicare and Medicaid Providers and Suppliers December 9, 2021
• Special Report | Why Do Nursing Home Operators Who Provide Poor Quality Care Control Increasing Numbers of Facilities? December 6, 2021
• Pass Build Back Better — Seize the Moment to Protect Nursing Home Residents December 2, 2021
• Updated Factsheet | CMS Nursing Home Visitation Guidance December 2, 2021
• Elder Justice Vol. 3 Issue 10 Now Available December 2, 2021
• CMS Revises Visitation Rules for Nursing Facilities November 18, 2021
• Connecticut Begins Penalizing Long-Term Care Facilities Failing to Comply with Governor’s Vaccine Mandate November 4, 2021
• Affirmed: Negligence and Wrongful Death Cases Against Nursing Homes During COVID-19 Pandemic Belong in State Court November 4, 2021
• 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Upholds Trump Administration’s Regulation Permitting Pre-Dispute Arbitration Agreements in Nursing Home Admissions Contracts October 21, 2021
• Study | Black Nursing Home Residents Disproportionately (and Incorrectly) Diagnosed with Schizophrenia October 21, 2021
• CMA Report | Privatization of County-Owned Nursing Facilities is Not Good for Residents, Staff, or States October 21, 2021
• Report: COVID-related Death Rates in Nursing Homes Spike Due to Delta Surge October 7, 2021
• Government Releases $25.2 Billion in Provider Covid-19 Relief September 23, 2021
• CMS Now Reports Resident and Staff COVID-19 Vaccination Rates on Care Compare September 23, 2021
• Private Equity Companies Continue Buying Nursing Facilities September 15, 2021
• Special Report | Who Provides Care for Nursing Home Residents? An Update on Temporary Nurse Aides September 15, 2021
• Study: Long-Term Care Facilities in Socially Isolated Neighborhoods Are Associated with 30-Day Mortality Risk September 2, 2021
• CMS Delays Adjusting Medicare Rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities to Reflect Changes in Therapy September 2, 2021
• Nursing Home Residents Have Private Right of Action to Enforce the Nursing Home Reform Law Against Publicly-Owned Facilities August 26, 2021
• Report Documents Private Equity’s Role in Ownership of Nursing Facilities August 19, 2021
• Senators Introduce Nursing Home Legislation to Improve Quality of Care August 12, 2021
• GAO Issues New Report on Nurse Staffing in Nursing Facilities August 12, 2021
• American Bar Association Adopts Resolution on Nursing Home Size and Density August 12, 2021
• Study Links Long-Term Care Staff Vaccination Rates with Disparities August 5, 2021
• CMA Special Report | What Can and Must Be Done about the Staffing Shortage in Nursing Homes August 5, 2021
• Per Day Civil Money Penalties are Back for Nursing Facilities July 29, 2021
• Immunity for Long-Term Care Facilities During the Coronavirus Pandemic July 22, 2021
• Special Report | Nursing Home Industry is Heavily Taxpayer-Subsidized July 9, 2021
• Elder Justice Newletter, Vol. 3 Issue 8 Now Available July 8, 2021
• Bill To Recognize Essential Caregivers Introduced in Congress July 1, 2021
• Advocates for Nursing Home Residents Propose Framework for Legislative and Administrative Changes to Benefit Residents June 24, 2021
• Racial/Ethnic Minorities and Dually Eligible Beneficiaries More Likely to Get COVID-19 in Nursing Homes, According to Office of Inspector General June 24, 2021
• Nursing Home Health Equity: More Evidence Showing COVID-19’s Racial Disparities June 10, 2021
• Elder Justice Newletter, Vol. 3 Issue 7 Now Available June 10, 2021
• United States Settles False Claims Act Case with SavaSeniorCare June 10, 2021
• Report: Nursing Homes Had Highest Death Rate of All Senior Housing From COVID – Although 39% Had None June 10, 2021
• Nursing Homes Fined for Infection Control Should Not Receive COVID-19 “Performance Based” Relief Funds May 27, 2021
• CMS Interim Final Rule Addresses Covid-19 Vaccinations for Nursing Home Residents and Staff May 20, 2021
• Jimmo v. Sebelius Factsheet: Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage Does Not Require Improvement May 20, 2021
• Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Reauthorizing Nursing Home Administrator Licensing Board After The Arizona Republic Reports That Board Granted A License To A Convicted Felon May 13, 2021
• HHS Inspector General Finds CMS Data Understates Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes May 13, 2021
• CMS Confirms Steep Decline in Therapy at Nursing Facilities May 6, 2021
• Policies and “Regulatory Failure” Endangered Nursing Home Residents April 29, 2021
• Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 6 Now Available April 29, 2021
• Personal Care Attendants: Troubling New Class of Worker in Florida Long-Term Care Facilities April 22, 2021
• Oscar Nominated Documentary Goes Undercover in Chilean Nursing Home April 22, 2021
• Nurse Aide Training Bill Could Diminish Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents April 22, 2021
• New Study: High Nursing Home Staff Turnover Impacts Quality of Care April 15, 2021
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Tackles the Long-Term Care Crisis April 15, 2021
• Experts Spotlight Systemic Racism in U.S. Nursing Homes and Call for Action April 8, 2021
• Covid-19 and Nursing Home Residents: Increased Loneliness and Isolation April 8, 2021
• Center for Medicare Advocacy submits Statement for the Record for Senate Finance Committee March 17 Hearing on Nursing Homes and COVID-19 March 25, 2021
• Nursing Home Trade Associations’ Legislative Agenda for 2021: More Familiar Than Bold March 25, 2021
• Center Report: Billions of Dollars to Nursing Homes in Covid-19 Relief March 25, 2021
• Senate Finance Committee Hearing on Covid-19 and Nursing Homes March 18, 2021
• Special Report | Nursing Facilities Have Received Billions of Dollars in Direct Financial and Non-Financial Support During Coronavirus Pandemic March 17, 2021
• New CMS Guidance Allows Visitors in Nursing Homes March 11, 2021
• Congressman Neal Asks CMS to Reinstate Nursing Home Surveys and Enforcement March 4, 2021
• Nursing Home Advocates and Members of Congress Call for Reinstatement of Nurse Aide Training Rules March 4, 2021
• New Report Documents Causes and Cures for COVID-19 Crisis in Long-Term Care Facilities February 18, 2021
• It’s Time to Repeal the 3-Day Inpatient Hospital Requirement for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage February 11, 2021
• Staffing is Key to Determining Whether Covid-19 Affects Nursing Home Residents February 4, 2021
• Expanded Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage During the Covid-19 Pandemic January 28, 2021
• Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 4 Now Available January 21, 2021
• Consumer Advocacy Organizations Sue CMS Over 2017 Guidance on Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities January 21, 2021
• HHS Inspector General Issues Report on Focused Infection Control Surveys in Nursing Facilities December 31, 2020
• “Observation Status” May Disproportionately Burden Medicare Beneficiaries in the Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods December 17, 2020
• Senators Casey and Wyden Release Third Report on Nursing Homes and COVID-19 December 17, 2020
• Toby S. Edelman on This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World December 15, 2020
• Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 3 Now Available December 10, 2020
• CMS Replaces all Eight Care-Specific Websites with Single Website: Care Compare December 10, 2020
• Nursing Home Residents and COVID-19: Staffing and Quality of Care Matter December 3, 2020
• Home for the Holidays | Leaving the Nursing Home During a Medicare-Covered Stay During the Coronavirus Pandemic November 19, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney, Toby Edelman and Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Cinnamon St. John Featured On This Is Getting Old Podcast November 19, 2020
• HHS Continues Giving Provider Relief Funds to Nursing Facilities November 12, 2020
• Infection Control Surveys In Nursing Facilities: As Deaths Soar, CMS Reports Few Deficiencies, Primarily “No Harm” November 12, 2020
• Nursing Facilities and COVID: Staffing Matters November 5, 2020
• Members of Congress Write CMS Urging Restoration of Nurse Aide Training Requirements for Nursing Facilities November 5, 2020
• Infection Control Surveys At Nursing Facilities October 29, 2020
• Provider Relief Funds: Care for Patients or Boosting Provider Revenues? October 29, 2020
• Long-Term Care Policy: Trump vs. Biden October 22, 2020
• Paying Direct Care Workers a Living Wage October 15, 2020
• COVID-Only Nursing Facilities: What Happened To A Good Idea? October 15, 2020
• Special Report: CMS Releases Fifth Cumulative List of Focused Infection Control Surveys October 8, 2020
• AHRQ Launches National Nursing Home COVID Action Network Training Program October 8, 2020
• Nursing Facilities and Covid-19 – It’s not Inevitable October 8, 2020
• Study Finds Lower Mortality Rates in Unionized New York State Nursing Facilities September 17, 2020
• CMS Long-Term Care Commission Issues Report September 17, 2020
• Testing Nursing Home Residents for COVID-19 September 10, 2020
• What’s New in Infection Control Surveys for Nursing Facilities? September 3, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Toolkit: How to Obtain an Additional 100 Days of Medicare Coverage in a Skilled Nursing Facility During the COVID Public Health Emergency September 3, 2020
• CMS Restarts Survey and Enforcement Activities at Nursing Facilities August 27, 2020
• Congress Gives COVID Relief Money to Nursing Facilities, Regardless of Fraud Lawsuits, Poor Quality of Care August 27, 2020
• Responding to CMS Announcement on Nursing Home Enforcement – Infection Control Deficiencies in Nursing Facilities: QCOR Data August 20, 2020
• Nursing Homes Nationwide Report Shortages of Nursing Staff August 20, 2020
• Nursing Facilities Owned By Private Equity Firms Have Higher Rates of Covid Infections than Other Facilities August 13, 2020
• Studies Find Higher Nurse Staffing Levels in Nursing Facilities Are Correlated With Better Containment Of Covid-19 August 13, 2020
• Inspector General Finds More Than Half of All Nursing Facilities Failed to Meet Professional Nurse Staffing Standards in 2018 August 13, 2020
• Infection Control Surveys and Deficiencies In Nursing Facilities August 11, 2020
• CMS Will Not Track Minimally Trained Aides at Nursing Facilities August 6, 2020
• Coalition Opposes Immunity for Nursing Facilities August 6, 2020
• Who’s Providing Care to Nursing Home Residents? July 29, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Recommendations to the Nursing Home Commission July 23, 2020
• COVID Does Not Have to Lead to Deaths in Nursing Homes July 23, 2020
• American Health Care Association’s CEO Issues Message to Members: “We Won’t Back Down” July 16, 2020
• Groups File Petition Demanding that HHS and its Agencies “Mitigate the COVID-19 Crisis in America’s Nursing Homes” July 16, 2020
• Additional Infection Control Surveys at Nursing Facilities Show Same Results: Few Deficiencies, Most Called “No Harm” July 9, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Comments on Coronavirus Reporting Requirements for Nursing Facilities July 9, 2020
• Special Report – Nursing Homes Cited With Immediate Jeopardy Deficiencies During Pandemic: Poor Health Inspection Results, Low Staffing Levels July 2, 2020
• CMS Liberalizes Visitation to Nursing Homes. . . A Little July 2, 2020
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney Testifies Before Congressional Committee re: Nursing Facilities and the COVID-19 Crisis June 25, 2020
• Special Report – Nursing Homes Cited with Infection Control Deficiencies During the Pandemic: Poor Results In Health Inspections, Low Staffing Levels June 17, 2020
• House Briefing on Covid and Nursing Homes Highlights Longstanding Problems in Staffing and Infection Control; Committee Launches Investigation of CMS and Five Nursing Home Chains June 17, 2020
• COVID-19’s Impact on Beneficiary Rights – A Case Study Examining Medicare Coverage Exceeding 100 Days in a Skilled Nursing Facility June 11, 2020
• Infection Control Surveys at Nursing Facilities: CMS Data Not Plausible June 11, 2020
• How Many Nursing Home Residents Have Died of Covid-19? June 4, 2020
• CMS Rule: Nursing Facilities Must Report Covid-19 Data to CDC, Residents, Families and Representatives May 28, 2020
• GAO on Infection Control Deficiencies in Nursing Facilities Before Covid-19 Pandemic: “Widespread,” “Persistent,” “Ignored” May 21, 2020
• State Attorneys General Open Criminal Investigations of Nursing Facilities in Light of the Pandemic; For Regulatory Agencies, Business As Usual May 21, 2020
• New CMA Report – Nursing Home Industry Seeks Immunity During COVID Crisis; States Are Obliging May 14, 2020
• Case Study: Medicare Advantage and Repeated Coverage Denials Amid the COVID Crisis May 14, 2020
• CMA Special Report – Infection Control Surveys at Nursing Facilities: It Looks Like Business as Usual May 7, 2020
• CMS to Require Transparency Regarding Coronavirus in Nursing Facilities April 23, 2020
• Federal District Court in Arkansas Upholds Federal Rule Authorizing Arbitration Requirements in Nursing Home Contracts April 16, 2020
• CDC’s Report on Coronavirus in a Seattle Nursing Facility: What it Tells Us About Staffing Problems Nationwide; What We Must Do to Address Lessons Learned April 9, 2020
• Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage, Discharges, and Transfers During the COVID Crisis April 9, 2020
• Hospitals Should Discharge Patients with Coronavirus Only to Qualified Nursing Homes April 2, 2020
• New Guidance On Nursing Home Health Inspections Severely Limits Oversight and Enforcement for a Three-Week Period March 26, 2020
• CMS Temporarily Waives Medicare Access Barriers for Skilled Nursing Facility Care March 26, 2020
• Restrictions on Family Caregivers Raise Concerns about Unmet Care Needs In Nursing Homes March 19, 2020
• The Coronavirus and Nursing Home Residents March 19, 2020
• Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol. 2, No. 7 Available Now March 19, 2020
• LTCCC Facts & Tips on Infection Control and Coronavirus March 5, 2020
• Issue Brief: Medicare Payment vs. Coverage for Home Health & Skilled Nursing Facility Care March 3, 2020
• Lawmakers Must Be Cautious about Recommendations from a New Industry Report on Nursing Home Closures February 28, 2020
• Massachusetts Task Force Calls for Closure of Low-Performing, Low Occupancy Nursing Facilities February 20, 2020
• Changes Coming to CMS Websites for Consumers February 13, 2020
• Study Finds Nursing Home Compare Data about Patient Falls with Major Injuries Underreported and “Highly Inaccurate” January 30, 2020
• Medicare SNF Payment Model Creates Changes in Care and Admissions – What about Facility Assessments? January 30, 2020
• Accountable Care Organizations and Observation Status January 30, 2020
• Nursing Facilities and Medicare Advantage: If You Can’t Beat ’Em, Join ’Em . . . But What About the Medicare Beneficiaries? January 9, 2020
• Skilled Nursing Facilities Lay off Therapists, Change Therapy Services – What Can Residents & Therapists Do? December 20, 2019
• Patients Need Therapy – Medicare Payment Systems Create Barriers December 12, 2019
• Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act Provides Important Protections December 12, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Statement to Ways & Means Hearing on “Caring for Aging Americans” December 12, 2019
• Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents Act of 2019 December 5, 2019
• Home for the Holidays: Leaving the Nursing Home During a Medicare-Covered Stay November 27, 2019
• Issue Alert – Medicare Benefit Periods Under PDPM November 21, 2019
• Poorly Performing Skilled Nursing Facilities: What Happens to Them? November 7, 2019
• Medicare’s New Skilled Nursing Facility Payment System Alters Access to Care November 7, 2019
• Potential Impacts of New Medicare Payment Models On Skilled Nursing Facility and Home Health Care October 31, 2019
• Nursing Home Compare’s Abuse Icon is Now Live October 24, 2019
• Joint Issue Alert on Medicare Payment and Skilled Therapy Services in Nursing Homes October 17, 2019
• Drug Company Sued Over Kickbacks for Off-Label Marketing of Psychotropic Drug for Nursing Home Residents to Pay Over $115 Million October 17, 2019
• Free Webinar about the New Medicare Payment System For SNFs October 10, 2019
• Nursing Home Residents and Therapy Under The New Medicare Payment System October 10, 2019
• Important Update to Nursing Home Compare Will Enable Public to Identify Facilities with a History of Abuse October 10, 2019
• The Patient Driven Payment Model is Here October 3, 2019
• California Attorney General Calls on CMS to Withdraw Proposed Revisions to Nursing Home Requirements of Participation September 26, 2019
• House of Representatives Passes Bill Prohibiting Pre-Dispute Arbitration Agreements September 26, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments Opposing the Administration’s Proposed Roll Back of Nursing Home Standards September 19, 2019
• Rule Allowing Pre-Dispute Arbitration Agreements in Nursing Homes Takes Effect September 19, 2019
• Nursing Home Deregulation Continues, Despite Substantial Risk to Residents September 5, 2019
• Stop Drugging Nursing Home Residents Without their Written Consent August 29, 2019
• Annual Surveys at Nursing Facilities Are Essential To Protect Residents August 8, 2019
• Federal Reports Find Incidents of Nursing Home Resident Abuse Are on the Rise but also Underreported August 1, 2019
• CMS’s Proposed Changes to Nursing Home Requirements of Participation, Survey and Enforcement: Nothing Good for Residents August 1, 2019
• Senate Finance Committee Holds Hearing on Nursing Home Issues July 25, 2019
• Center Statement on Nursing Home Reform for Senate Finance Committee July 25, 2019
• CMS Releases Special Focus Facility Candidate List But Transparency Issues Remain July 25, 2019
• CMS finalizes Rollback of Pre-Dispute Arbitration Protections July 18, 2019
• Nursing Home “Quality Measures” Do Not Reflect Quality of Nursing Home Care July 3, 2019
• Latest Issue – Elder Justice Newsletter June 27, 2019
• Special Report – “Graduates” From the Special Focus Facility Program Provide Poor Care June 20, 2019
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Joint Comments on Proposed Revisions to the Definition Of Group Therapy In Skilled Nursing Facilities June 20, 2019
• The New York Times Reports On HUD-Backed Nursing Homes June 13, 2019
• Senators Release Secret List of Poor Quality Nursing Homes June 6, 2019
• Nursing Home Study Finds Discharges Linked to Medicare Copayments June 6, 2019
• Nursing Homes, Medicaid Rates, and Campaign Contributions May 30, 2019
• Nursing Home Compare Inaccurately Reports Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities May 30, 2019
• Webinar: Where Does the Money Go? Insights and Consumer Perspectives on Nursing Home Profits and Losses May 23, 2019
• Protecting Nursing Home Residents from Reckless Operators May 16, 2019
• Improve Physician Staffing in Nursing Homes May 16, 2019
• Sign-On Opportunity: Advocating for Individualized Therapy in Nursing Homes May 16, 2019
• CMS Proposed Rule to Redefine Group Therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities: Concern for Resident Care April 25, 2019
• How to Prevent Re-Hospitalization Of Nursing Home Residents: More Physicians and Nurses In Nursing Homes April 18, 2019
• Joint Statement: Federal Report Finds That CMS Failed to Properly Oversee State’s Nursing Home Investigations April 18, 2019
• Latest Issue – Elder Justice Newsletter April 18, 2019
• Nursing Home Requirements of Participation: Will the Administration Overturn 2016 Rules for Infection Control? April 11, 2019
• Observation Status Deprives Medicare Beneficiaries of their Skilled Nursing Facility Benefit. Period. April 11, 2019
• What’s Causing Nursing Home Closures? April 4, 2019
• Free Webinar – Overview of Phase 3 Nursing Home Regulations: A Look Ahead April 4, 2019
• Nursing Home Resident Advocates, Not Invited to Testify, Submit Statement for the Record March 21, 2019
• LTCCC Publishes Report on Nursing Home Resident Abuse, Neglect, and Crime March 21, 2019
• Average Nursing Home Fine Drops Significantly After Administration Rolls Back Civil Money Penalties March 21, 2019
• Members of Congress Reintroduce Legislation to Fix Outpatient Observation Status March 14, 2019
• Senate Finance Committee Holds Hollow Hearing for the Nursing Home Industry March 7, 2019
• There’s Nothing Special About How CMS Treats Special Focus Nursing Facilities February 14, 2019
• Registered Nurses Are the Key to Reducing Hospital Readmissions of Nursing Home Residents January 17, 2019
• Nursing Home Residents at Risk: Advocates Submit Briefing to Congress January 17, 2019
• Joint Statement on Turmoil in the Nursing Home Industry January 3, 2019
• Elder Justice “No Harm” Newsletter – Issue 10 December 13, 2018
• State Attorneys General Successfully Take on Nursing Home Issues November 29, 2018
• CMS Proposes Rollback of Emergency Preparedness Requirements to Reduce “Burdens” for Nursing Home Providers November 20, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Comments on Proposed Nursing Home Legislation and Rule November 8, 2018
• HHS Publishes Final Rules Providing Annual Inflation-Related Increases for Civil Money Penalties in Its Programs. Better Late than Never? November 1, 2018
• Checklist for Medicare Nursing Home “Improvement Standard” Denials October 25, 2018
• Who Owns Nursing Facilities and Why? October 4, 2018
• Transfer and Discharge Deficiencies Cited Since 2017: Surveyors Focus On paperwork, Not Residents’ Rights September 20, 2018
• House Committee Holds Hearing on Nursing Home Quality Issues September 13, 2018
• Final Rules for New Medicare Reimbursement System for Skilled Nursing Facilities: Goodbye Therapy August 23, 2018
• Special Focus Nursing Facilities that “Have Not Improved:” Poor Care for Residents, Overall Ratings Artificially Boosted by 5-Star Ratings in Self-Reported Quality Measures August 15, 2018
• Nursing Facilities’ “Quality Measures” Do Not Reflect Actual Quality of Care Provided to Residents August 9, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Co-Authors Case Study Journal Article on Nurse Staffing Litigation in Arkansas August 2, 2018
• Special Report – Special Focus Facilities: Poor Care for Residents, Limited Consequences for Providers July 30, 2018
• Nursing Home “In-House” Managed Care Plans May Harm Residents July 19, 2018
• Did CMS’s Partnership to Improve Dementia Care Reduce the Inappropriate Prescribing of Antipsychotic Drugs for Nursing Home Residents as Much as CMS Claims? Two Recent Studies Say No June 28, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Discusses Nursing Home Resident Protections with CMS Administrator Seema Verma June 28, 2018
• CMS Reverses Obama Policy on Nursing Home Quality Enforcement June 21, 2018
• Nursing Home Residents at Risk June 14, 2018
• Read the Center’s Comments on Proposed Reimbursement for Skilled Nursing Facilities June 14, 2018
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Emphasizes Need to Protect Nursing Home Residents at Congressional Briefing June 7, 2018
• Buying and Selling Nursing Homes: Who’s Looking Out for the Residents? May 23, 2018
• CMS Tries Again: Another New Skilled Nursing Facility Medicare Reimbursement System Proposed – If Implemented, Would Gut Therapy May 17, 2018
• Corporate Integrity Agreements and Nursing Homes May 10, 2018
• Nursing Home Roundup April 12, 2018
• Fact Sheet – Skilled Nursing Facility Coverage and Jimmo v. Sebelius April 5, 2018
• Elder Justice Newsletter – March 2018 April 5, 2018
• Elder Justice Alert: New York Times Publishes Article on Drug Use Among Older Adults March 29, 2018
• Latest Nursing Home Rights Issue Alert February 22, 2018
• Elder Justice Alert: Human Rights Watch Publishes In-Depth Report on Antipsychotic Drug Use in U.S. Nursing Homes February 7, 2018
• Lawsuit Challenging Chronic SNF Understaffing Settled for $72 Million January 24, 2018
• CMS to Propose Revising the Nursing Home Requirements of Participation January 24, 2018
• Medicare Advantage Enrollees Have Fewer SNF Options than Traditional Medicare Beneficiaries January 24, 2018
• CMA Alert -Spotlight on SNF Enforcement December 27, 2017
• CMS Halts Enforcement, as Requested by the Nursing Home Industry December 6, 2017
• Elder Justice Newsletter: What “No Harm” Really Means for Residents November 30, 2017
• Alert – Tax Cut Harm Just Got Worse; This Week in Sabotage; CMS Pushing MA Plans; SNF Deregulation November 15, 2017
• CMA Alert, October 18, 2017 – Nursing Home Rights Roundup; ACA Stabilization; More October 18, 2017
• Center Submits Statement On SNF Requirements for Senate Aging Committee Hearing on “Disaster Preparedness and Response: the Special Needs of Older Americans” September 20, 2017
• CMA Alert – OIG Warns of Abuse in SNFs; Ted Kennedy, Jr. Joins CMA Advisory Board; “Jimmo” Corrective Action Plan August 30, 2017
• CMA Alert – SNF Update: Comments on Reimbursement; Civil Money Penalties Weakened August 9, 2017
• CMS Extends Comment Period for New Medicare Skilled Nursing Reimbursement System Until August 25, 2017 June 14, 2017
• Reversing Obama Rules, Trump Administration Proposes Allowing Nursing Homes to Require Pre-Dispute Arbitration Clauses as a Condition of Admission June 14, 2017
• CMS Considers New Medicare Reimbursement System for Skilled Nursing Facilities: If Implemented, Would Gut Therapy May 17, 2017
• Issue Brief: Nursing Home Residents in Jeopardy if Medicaid Becomes a Block Grant February 1, 2017
• Nursing Home “Advancing Excellence” Quality Program Ends after a Decade November 16, 2016
• Observation Status Impedes Access to End-of-Life Skilled Nursing Facility Care November 3, 2016
• CMS Rescinds Erroneous Medicare Nursing Home Policy October 26, 2016
• Don’t be Fooled by the Federal Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System October 5, 2016
• New Nursing Home Requirements of Participation: A Missed Opportunity October 5, 2016
• CMS Increases Mandatory Enforcement to Protect Nursing Home Residents August 17, 2016
• A Model to Waive the Three-Day Inpatient Hospital Stay Requirement for Care in a Skilled Nursing Facility July 20, 2016
• Center Comments on Proposed Rules for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facilities June 22, 2016
• Elder Abuse in Nursing Facilities: The Over-Administration of Antipsychotic Drugs to Nursing Home Residents June 15, 2016
• Improving Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents by Improving Wages, Benefits, Training and Working Conditions for Nurse Aides April 13, 2016
• International Study: Privatization of Long-Term Care Facilities Does Not Lead to Greater Transparency or More Care March 23, 2016
• “Discharge” from a Skilled Nursing Facility: What Does it Mean and What Rights Does a Resident Have? January 13, 2016
• Budget Act of 2015 Increases Penalties for Programs under the Social Security Act, Including Nursing Facilities November 18, 2015
• Discharge Planning: Tips for Evaluating a Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility Placement Choices November 17, 2015
• CMS Proposed Rules for Nursing Facility Requirements of Participation: Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments October 23, 2015
• CMS Reopens Public Comment Period for Proposed Revisions to the Nursing Home Requirements of Participation September 17, 2015
• Proposed Requirements of Participation for Nursing Facilities Do Not Strengthen Standards for Residents July 16, 2015
• Center for Medicare Advocacy Submits Comments to Senate Finance Committee and CMS Regarding Important Health Care Proposals June 25, 2015
• Advancing Excellence: Very Few Nursing Homes are “Full Active Participants” and Nearly Half of Them Provide Poor Care June 18, 2015
• National Public Radio Program Features CMS’s New Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes March 18, 2015
• Antipsychotic Drugs and Nursing Home Residents: What Do the Different Numbers Mean? March 12, 2015
• Has CMS’s Partnership with the Nursing Home Industry Really Reduced the Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs by Nursing Home Residents as Much as CMS Claims? No. March 5, 2015
• Changes to Nursing Home Compare and the Five Star Quality Rating System February 26, 2015
• CMS Tool for Assessing Civil Money Penalties Imposed Against Nursing Facilities Continues to Ensure that Penalties Will Remain Low January 29, 2015
• Twelfth Largest U.S. Nursing Home Company Sued for Inadequate Staffing January 15, 2015
• No Site Neutral Payments for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing Facilities December 11, 2014
• Changes to Nursing Home Compare: Some Good, Some Bad November 20, 2014
• Administration Plans Major Improvements to Nursing Home Compare October 16, 2014
• Nursing Facilities Owned by Private Equity Firms: Fewer Nurses, More Deficiencies August 20, 2014
• Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Skilled Nursing facilities: Vive La Difference! July 31, 2014
• Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) In Nursing Homes: Diverting CMS Attention from Enforcement June 12, 2014
• Harm from Medicare’s Hospital Observation Status Debated In Congressional Hearing – Center for Medicare Advocacy Presents Beneficiary Perspective May 21, 2014
• Senior Policy Attorney Toby S. Edelman Testifies about Observation Status before Congress May 15, 2014
• Federal Nursing Home Enforcement System is Not Punitive: Setting the Record Straight Again May 8, 2014
• The Myth of Improved Quality in Nursing Home Care: Setting the Record Straight Again April 17, 2014
• OIG Report: Care in Skilled Nursing Facilities Harmed Nearly One-Third of Medicare Residents in August 2011 March 19, 2014
• Staffing Deficiencies in Nursing Facilities: Rarely Cited, Seldom Sanctioned March 7, 2014
• CMA Report: Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes, Part Three – Recommendations to Improve the Citing of Deficiencies January 23, 2014
• CMA Report: Examining Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Facilities December 12, 2013
• Misuse of Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes: Are We Making Any Progress? November 14, 2013
• $2.2 Billion Johnson & Johnson Settlement Sends New Warning: Antipsychotic Drugs Should Not Be Used to Treat Dementia November 14, 2013
• Debunking Nursing Home Myths about Quality of Care and Enforcement of Federal Care Standards September 12, 2013
• HHS Announces First Guidance Implementing Supreme Court’s Decision on the Defense of Marriage Act August 30, 2013
• CMS Addresses Observation Status Again… And Again, No Help for Beneficiaries May 16, 2013
• Medicare Paid $5.1 Billion to SNFs that Did Not Provide Care-Planning and Discharge-Planning (February 2013 OIG Report) April 18, 2013
• Nursing Home Enforcement by United States Attorneys: What Happened to the Regulatory System? February 7, 2013
• The Worst-Performing Nursing Facilities Are Seldom Sanctioned; Self-Reporting is Not an Accurate Quality Measurement January 24, 2013
• Déjà Vu All Over Again: CMS Decides (Again) Not to Decide About Observation Status November 20, 2012
• How the Ryan Budget (and Republican Platform) Would Hurt Current Nursing Home Residents August 30, 2012
• CMS Invites Public Comment on Observation Status August 9, 2012
• Compare Hospitals or Nursing Homes Using Medicare’s Online Tools July 20, 2012
• More Concerns About Observation Status: Hospitals Join the Chorus July 12, 2012
• Recognizing Elder Abuse Awareness Day: Working Together to Curb Misuse of Powerful Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Homes June 14, 2012
• Brown University Confirms Observation Continues to Replace Hospital Admission Status June 7, 2012
• Low Staffing in Nursing Homes Leads to More Deaths May 3, 2012
• Press Release – Fewer Antipsychotic Drugs, More Nurses Will Improve Care in Nursing Homes and Save Money April 19, 2012
• Toby Edelman Statement to Senate Committee Regarding Antipsychotic Drugs in Nursing Facilities April 19, 2012
• Non-Profit vs. For-Profit Nursing Homes: Is there a Difference in Care? March 15, 2012
• Reducing Rehospitalizations… The Right Way March 1, 2012
• Voluntary Nursing Home Improvement Campaign Does Not Work January 11, 2012
• Special Focus Facility Study: Nursing Facilities’ Self-Regulation Cannot Replace Independent Surveys December 22, 2011
• Toby Edelman Testifies Before Senate Special Committee Regarding Antipsychotics In Nursing Homes December 1, 2011
• Preserving Access to Necessary Care: Ending Hospital “Observation Status” November 3, 2011
• Congressman Joe Courtney and Center for Medicare Advocacy Hold Congressional Briefing on Observation Status October 24, 2011
• Medicare Reimbursement For Skilled Nursing Facilities Remains High For 2012 Despite Reductions In Overpayments August 25, 2011
• The Changing Demographics of Nursing Home Care: Greater Minority Access… Good News, Bad News August 18, 2011
• New Initiatives to Improve Services for Dual Eligibles July 15, 2011
• Real Solutions to Save Medicare Dollars in Skilled Nursing Facilities June 30, 2011
• CMA And Others Support Legislation to End “Observation Status” June 21, 2011
• Senators Kerry and Snowe, with Representatives Courtney and Latham, Introduce Legislation to Ensure Skilled Care for Seniors April 26, 2011
• What Happens to Current Nursing Home Residents if the House Budget Resolution Becomes Law? April 21, 2011
• Reducing Antipsychotic Drug Use in Nursing Homes: Save Residents’ Lives, Save Medicare Billions of Dollars March 17, 2011
• More Nurses in Nursing Homes Would Mean Fewer Patients Headed to Hospitals March 10, 2011
• Concern over Skilled Nursing Facilities’ Upcoding Medicare Reimbursement Should Not Be Allowed to Deprive Residents of Necessary Care February 10, 2011
• Judge Rejects “Eden Alternative” Defense In Nursing Home Appeal February 3, 2011
• CMS Reins in Overpayments to Skilled Nursing Facilities October 15, 2010
• Extended Observation Stays in Acute Care Hospitals: Criticism, Legislation and Discussion August 26, 2010
• Preventable Emergency Department Visits by Nursing Home Residents August 19, 2010
• Health Reform: The Nursing Home Provisions June 17, 2010
• New GAO Report Demonstrates Need for Stronger Enforcement of Nursing Home Quality Standards: Health Reform Provisions Could Help May 20, 2010
• Off-Label Drug Use Is Common and Hurts Nursing Home Residents March 25, 2010
• Overcoming Barriers to Medicare Coverage of Skilled Nursing Facility Care March 10, 2010
• Observation Services: What Can Beneficiaries and Advocates Do? February 18, 2010
• Nursing Home Residents’ Access to Physicians and Pain Medication February 4, 2010
• Serious Deficiencies in Nursing Facilities are Understated and the Problem May Get Worse January 7, 2010
• Myths About Nursing Home Tort Reforms April 18, 2003
• Important Provisions Reinstated In Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Regulations September 20, 1999
• The Medicare Prospective Payment System (SNF) September 20, 1999