Yesterday, the country inaugurated our 46th president, Joseph R. Biden. In his Inaugural Address, President Biden outlined the many challenges that the country faces, including a “once-in-a-century virus.” He also made a plea for unity in addressing these challenges. He stated:
We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.
Much to repair.
Much to restore.
Much to heal.
Much to build.
And much to gain.
As the new Administration ramps up and fleshes out its key personnel and policies, there is much to be done. In addition to tackling the pandemic, there are many things to address in health care generally, and in Medicare specifically.
The Center for Medicare Advocacy recently issued our Transition Memorandum, in which we recommend a number of measures that the new Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) can take administratively to strengthen Medicare for beneficiaries. This is in addition to our legislative goals outlined in our Medicare Platform.
We look forward to working with the new Biden Administration, and are hopeful that it will address some of the long-standing and worsening barriers to care facing Medicare beneficiaries that we have long-sought to cure. Just as we have tried to work with, and at times have had to contest, every administration during the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s 35-year history, we will always place beneficiary concerns first, consistent with our mission to advance access to comprehensive Medicare, health equity, and quality health care. It’s time to get to work.
January 21, 2021 – D. Lipschutz