The Medicare Rights Center (Medicare Rights) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Contract Year 2021 and 2022 Policy and Technical Changes to the Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicaid Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Medicare Rights is a national, nonprofit organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives. Medicare Rights provides services and resources to three million people with Medicare, family caregivers, and professionals each year.
Medicare Rights generally supports the transition of many of the provisions in this proposed rule from subregulatory guidance to notice-and-comment rulemaking. While we recognize that formal rulemaking can lack the flexibility and nimbleness of guidance, we believe that the standardization, transparency, and predictability of formal rulemaking makes it a more appropriate vehicle for most provisions that make significant changes to the Medicare program.
