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Description
The Center for Medicare Advocacy’s popular yearly webinar is for anyone dealing with Medicare enrollment. Experts cover the basics surrounding Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period, with an emphasis on considerations for people with longer-term and chronic conditions, including:
- Overview of annual enrollment period and available options
- Choosing between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare
- Policy updates for 2026
- Practical tips for choosing your coverage
The presentation concludes with a chat with Cures Collective members on the important considerations for people with neurodegenerative disorders and other chronic conditions along with Q&A.
Presented by David Lipschutz (Co-Director, Law & Policy, CMA), Kata Kertesz (Managing Policy Attorney, CMA), Eric Krupa (Supervising Attorney, CMA), Aditi Narayan Minkoff (Vice President, Community Support, I AM ALS), and Julie Balasalle (Manager of Community Organizing, I AM ALS).
With gratitude, this program is presented in partnership with the Cures Collective.
Presentation Slides, Chat & Transcript
Watch the Recorded Presentation
Presenter Bios
Aditi Narayan Minkoff, MSSW (She/Her) is Vice President of Community Support at I AM ALS. Aditi develops and evolves person-centered programs and tools that help people living with ALS, caregivers, and their loved ones to feel supported and empowered while coping with ALS. Aditi focuses on addressing unmet needs, and building strong partnerships to streamline the community care experience for people impacted by ALS. Prior to joining I AM ALS, Aditi served as the Director of Programs & Strategy at Livestrong, where she managed a suite of national supportive care programs benefiting cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Aditi earned a Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Communication from George Mason University.
David Lipschutz is the Co-Director of Law and Policy for the Center for Medicare Advocacy in Washington, DC. David engages in public policy issues surrounding Medicare and related coverage as they impact Medicare beneficiaries. This work includes federal administrative and legislative advocacy, collaboration with other consumer advocates to address systemic issues, and monitoring, analyzing and commenting on current Medicare-related policy developments. Prior to joining CMA in 2010, David worked as a staff attorney at California Health Advocates (CHA), a nonprofit providing advocacy and education for Medicare beneficiaries in California. While at CHA, he engaged in Medicare policy work and provided technical assistance to Medicare counselors and advocates. He also testified before Congress and the California state legislature, and was a frequent lecturer and trainer regarding various Medicare issues. Before joining CHA, David worked as a staff attorney at the Center for Health Care Rights, a non-profit agency that provides direct services to Medicare beneficiaries in Los Angeles County. David has authored and co-authored numerous articles about Medicare reforms. He has been quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, CBS News, ABC News, NPR, Associated Press, KFF Health News, Forbes, Fortune, and Rolling Stone. From 2003 to 2010, David co-authored a chapter on Medicare in California’s Continuing Education of the Bar publication California Elder Law, Resources, Benefits, and Planning. He is also a contributing author to CMA’s Medicare Handbook.
Kata Kertesz, Managing Policy Attorney, joined the Center for Medicare Advocacy in 2014. Her legal work focuses on the rights of those dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare Savings Programs, and other matters regarding access to health care for lower-income people. Prior to joining the Center, Kata worked on Medicare issues at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), a non-profit agency that focuses on health care and consumer protection issues for older adults. While at NCOA, Kata engaged in administrative and legislative advocacy through coalitions of consumer protection groups. Kata earned her B.A. degree from Georgetown University and her J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She was executive editor of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, and a student editor for the ABA’s Entertainment and Sports Lawyer. Also while in law school, Kata worked on consumer protection issues for the federal government, including as an honors law clerk at the Environmental Protection Agency, as a legal intern at the Department of Homeland Security, and as a law clerk for Commissioner Robert M. McDowell at the Federal Communications Commission. Prior to attending law school, Kata was a journalist at the Associated Press in Washington, DC. Kata is admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia and Maryland, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Eric Krupa is a supervising attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy. He primarily works to ensure that the Center is a dependable source of information, advocacy, and representation for individual Medicare beneficiaries in the state of Connecticut who are experiencing barriers to accessing their full Medicare benefits. Prior to joining the Center, Eric clerked for Superior Court Judge Peter A. Bogaard in New Jersey. He then worked as a fellowship attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance – Maine’s oldest and largest civil legal services provider – representing individuals in family law and protection from abuse matters. Eric was also a staff attorney with Connecticut Legal Rights Project, where he represented clients of Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in receiving adequate care and treatment. Eric graduated from Hunter College and Notre Dame Law School, where he developed a commitment to public interest law. He is licensed to practice law in Connecticut and Maine.
Julie Balasalle, MSW (She/Her) Julie is the Manager of Community Organizing at I AM ALS and is here to support and amplify the incredible work of the community teams. She is a macro social worker and received her MSW from Tulane University. She has extensive experience in legislative and community advocacy in the US and Canada in non-profit, member associations, and union settings.
After two long years of a diagnostic journey, her mother, Mary Ellen, passed away with a probable corticobasal degeneration diagnosis. Corticobasal degeneration is a terminal progressive neurodegenerative disease with no diagnostics, treatment, cure, and can only be confirmed post mortem. Julie is committed to doing everything she can to raise awareness of neurodegenerative diseases like CBD and ALS and support those living with those diseases, in memory of her mother.
CMA is Grateful for Our Participating Cures Collective Partners
