On July 25, the Center for Medicare Advocacy joined other advocates and members of Congress at a rally and press conference in Washington, DC highlighting harm caused by private Medicare Advantage plans, including wrongful delays and denials of care. … [Read more...] about Highlighting the Harms of Medicare Advantage: Advocates and Members of Congress Rally to Support Real Medicare
Weekly Alert
National Nursing Home Trade Associations Escalate Attacks on Nurse Staffing Ratios for Nursing Facilities
With increasingly overheated rhetoric, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) explicitly asks President Biden to abandon his commitment to enacting meaningful nurse staffing ratios for nursing facilities. LeadingAge’s “Get Real on Ratios” would … [Read more...] about National Nursing Home Trade Associations Escalate Attacks on Nurse Staffing Ratios for Nursing Facilities
Sufficient Nursing Facility Staffing Saves Lives, Insufficient Staffing Harms and Kills
4.1 Hours of Nursing Care Per Resident Day Are the Bare Minimum Analyses of nurse staffing levels at nursing facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic find – what all studies of staffing have consistently found for decades – higher staffing levels … [Read more...] about Sufficient Nursing Facility Staffing Saves Lives, Insufficient Staffing Harms and Kills
Media Advisory: Medicare Advantage Patients and Families Join Members of Congress to Call for an End to Wrongful Delays and Denials
For Immediate Release:7/20/23Contacts: Claire Sandberg, claire@beaherofund.com, 646-641-6431Linda Benesch, lbenesch@socialsecurityworks.org, 240-342-4301 Media Advisory: Medicare Advantage Patients and Families Join Members of Congress to … [Read more...] about Media Advisory: Medicare Advantage Patients and Families Join Members of Congress to Call for an End to Wrongful Delays and Denials
Proposed Medicare Rule Clarifies Specific Dental Service Coverage
The 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule released last week includes a proposal to clarify reimbursement for dental services necessary to the clinical success of certain cancer treatments. In last year’s PFS final rule, CMS … [Read more...] about Proposed Medicare Rule Clarifies Specific Dental Service Coverage
CMS Posts Nursing Home Ownership Information on Care Compare and CMS Data Website
On June 28, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began posting more detailed nursing home ownership information on the federal website Care Compare and on its data website, data.cms.gov, as promised by President Biden as part … [Read more...] about CMS Posts Nursing Home Ownership Information on Care Compare and CMS Data Website
CMS Publishes Guidance on Medicare Dental Coverage
CMS recently published information on its website about the dental services that Medicare will and will not cover. Although dental services are generally excluded from coverage under the Medicare statute, the agency clarifies in this guidance that … [Read more...] about CMS Publishes Guidance on Medicare Dental Coverage
Ongoing Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Plans
At a time when Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment has surpassed 50% of the Medicare population, overpayments to MA plans now exceed $75 billion annually (see, e.g., CMA Alert, June 22, 2023) and access to care problems, including inappropriate use of … [Read more...] about Ongoing Scrutiny of Medicare Advantage Plans
Join! July 13 Virtual Rally for Nurse Staffing Standards in Nursing Facilities
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, the AFL-CIO, and SEIU will host a virtual rally on July 13, at 2:00 pm ET, to call for strong federal nurse staffing standards in nursing facilities. Speakers at Safe Staffing in Nursing Homes … [Read more...] about Join! July 13 Virtual Rally for Nurse Staffing Standards in Nursing Facilities
CMS to Review Five Medicare Claims from Each Skilled Nursing Facility
The Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program projects an improper Medicare Part A payment rate to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) of 15.1% in 2022, nearly double the 7.79% improper payment rate in 2021, and the highest improper payment rate … [Read more...] about CMS to Review Five Medicare Claims from Each Skilled Nursing Facility