The Center for Medicare Advocacy continues our years-long efforts for medically necessary oral health care to be covered by Medicare, as authorized under current law.Along with a coalition of beneficiary advocates, disease organizations, industry … [Read more...] about Oral Health Advocacy Update
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Voices of Medicare | Medicare Advantage Network Inadequacy
We recently heard from a Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollee from the Dallas-Forth Worth metropolitan area who went several months without seeing a gastroenterologist due to Cigna’s failure to contract with such specialists. She received no prior notice … [Read more...] about Voices of Medicare | Medicare Advantage Network Inadequacy
Commonwealth Fund: Medicaid Reimbursement Rates Are a Racial Justice Issue
A recent Commonwealth Fund blog, Medicaid Reimbursement Rates Are a Racial Justice Issue, explores Medicaid reimbursement rates in the country, and ties the low rates to more limited access to care and worse outcomes for Medicaid beneficiaries, who … [Read more...] about Commonwealth Fund: Medicaid Reimbursement Rates Are a Racial Justice Issue
Center Comments on Proposed Revisions to Medicare Enrollment and Eligibility Rules
This week the Center for Medicare Advocacy submitted comments on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule titled “Medicare Program; Implementing Certain Provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other … [Read more...] about Center Comments on Proposed Revisions to Medicare Enrollment and Eligibility Rules
Supreme Court Decision Places End-Stage Renal Disease Patients at Risk
In a decision that may place people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) at risk, the Supreme Court held this week that an employer-sponsored group health plan can restrict benefits for outpatient dialysis without violating Medicare’s Secondary Payer … [Read more...] about Supreme Court Decision Places End-Stage Renal Disease Patients at Risk
Nursing Home Staffing at All-Time Low; Which Solutions Will Help?
During the coronavirus pandemic and as of January 2022, nursing facilities lost 238,000 staff members, 15% of their total workforce.[1] According to a survey by the trade association American Health Care Association (AHCA), more than 87% of … [Read more...] about Nursing Home Staffing at All-Time Low; Which Solutions Will Help?
Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicare Spending for Skilled Nursing Facilities Increased During Pandemic, While Fewer Residents Were Covered
Kaiser Family Foundation reports that spending for care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) by the traditional Medicare program increased by 4% during the coronavirus pandemic, although Medicare spending for most other services declined, and the … [Read more...] about Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicare Spending for Skilled Nursing Facilities Increased During Pandemic, While Fewer Residents Were Covered
As Interstate Telehealth Emergency Licensure Waivers Expire, Study Examines Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries
The first COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) was passed on January 31, 2020.[1] Almost two-and-a-half years later, over one million people have lost their lives to the infectious disease, and the nation is still struggling to emerge from the … [Read more...] about As Interstate Telehealth Emergency Licensure Waivers Expire, Study Examines Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries
Medicaid SCOTUS Decision
This week the Supreme Court of the United States ruled 7-2 in Person v. Marstiller, Sec'y of the Fla. Agency for Health Care that states can take money Medicaid beneficiaries win in personal injury litigation for future medical expenses to recoup … [Read more...] about Medicaid SCOTUS Decision
2022 Medicare Trustees Report
Additional Two Years of Solvency Projected, But Attention Still NeededEvery year, the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees release reports on the fiscal health of the Medicare and Social Security programs. On June 2, 2022, the … [Read more...] about 2022 Medicare Trustees Report