Free Medicare help is available 800-333-4114
POLICY TOPIC

Enrollment and Eligibility

Resources, analysis, and news coverage on this issue, all in one place.

About This Issue

Most people new to Medicare are automatically enrolled because they are receiving Social Security when they become eligible. But a growing number are not and must enroll on their own, taking into consideration specific timelines, intricate rules, and existing coverage. Mistakes are common and carry serious consequences, such as lifelong financial penalties, high out-of-pocket costs, disruptions in care, and gaps in coverage. Yet, few remedies are available to help beneficiaries correct honest missteps.

On This Issue

Resources, News & Coverage

59 items

  1. Medicare Watch Priority Issues Across Medicare, Part 1: Original Medicare
  2. Positions and Publications What Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  3. Positions and Publications What Medicare Means Testing Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  4. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Urges Beneficiary-Centered Medicare Enrollment Reforms
  5. Medicare Watch The Annual Deadline to Make Certain Medicare Advantage Changes Is Fast Approaching
  6. Press Release Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment and General Enrollment Periods Underway
  7. Medicare Watch Guide to Medicare Open Enrollment
  8. Medicare Watch Medicare Open Enrollment Begins Today
  9. Yahoo Finance - Decoding Retirement How to Understand What’s in Your Medicare ANOC (opens in a new tab)
  10. Medicare Watch Final Rule and New Special Enrollment Period Will Aid Those Misled by Provider Directories
  11. Medicare Watch Important Medicare Plan Finder Improvements Planned This Fall, More Work Needed
  12. Medicare Watch New Bipartisan Bill Would Improve Medicare Enrollment
  13. Press Release Medicare Rights Center Strongly Supports Bipartisan BENES 2.0 Act
  14. Medicare Watch Medicare and Medicaid: 60 Years of Health Care Reform
  15. Medicare Watch Reconciliation Bill Timeline Stretches Far Into Future, Giving Some Opportunities for Correction
  16. Medicare Watch Medicare Advantage Enrollees Need Better Information On Supplemental Benefits
  17. Medicare Watch Proposed Cuts Could End a Vital Medicare Support Network
  18. Medicare Watch Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE Closing Social Security Offices, Harming Access to Services
  19. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Center President Fred Riccardi Discusses Prior Authorization in Medicare Advantage  
  20. Medicare Watch Proposed Rule Would Improve Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization and Transparency
  21. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Helpline Trends Report Highlights Beneficiary Challenges and Opportunities for Reform
  22. Press Release Medicare Rights Center Highlights Top Challenges for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2023 Trends Report 
  23. Positions and Publications Medicare Trends and Recommendations
  24. Medicare Watch With Time Still Remaining, ACA Enrollment Surges to New Record
  25. Medicare Watch State Health Insurance Assistance Programs Underused Among Medicare Beneficiaries Making Enrollment Decisions
  26. Medicare Watch CMS Finalizes Payment Rule, Including Update to the Custody Definition
  27. Medicare Watch Comparing Plans is Especially Important This Open Enrollment Season Due to Changes in Part D Protections and New Options
  28. Medicare Watch Proposed Rules Would Improve Coverage and Care
  29. Medicare Watch As Medicare Turns 59, We Celebrate the Program’s Successes and Its Future
  30. Medicare Watch Proposed Rule Would Help Formerly Incarcerated People Gain Medicare Coverage
  31. Medicare Watch Improving the Part B Late Enrollment Penalty
  32. Medicare Watch Fall Open Enrollment Ends Tonight
  33. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights’ Helpline Trends Report Shows Increasing Need for Help Affording Care
  34. Report 2022 Medicare Trends and Recommendations
  35. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Applauds Introduction of BENES 2.0 Act
  36. Positions and Publications Congress Must Streamline and Simplify Medicare Enrollment
  37. Press Release <strong>Bipartisan BENES 2.0 Act Introduced in the Senate</strong>
  38. Medicare Watch President’s Budget Outlines Policy and Spending Priorities
  39. Comments Social Security Administration Learning Agenda Request for Information
  40. Positions and Publications Medicare Part B Enrollment: Pitfalls and Solutions
  41. Medicare Watch New Enrollment Periods and Cost Savings Take Effect in 2023
  42. Medicare Watch Looking Ahead: Medicare in 2023 and Beyond
  43. Medicare Watch Social Security Administration Announces New Start Dates for Part B in 2023
  44. CNBC New Medicare enrollment rules that eliminate coverage gaps take effect in 2023. Here’s what you need to know (opens in a new tab)
  45. Medicare Watch Important Rules Implement Key BENES Act Provisions to Simplify Medicare Enrollment
  46. Press Release Medicare Rights Applauds Implementation of Key BENES Act Provisions
  47. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Supports BENES Act Implementation Rules
  48. Comments Comments on CAA/BENES Act Proposed Rule
  49. Medicare Watch BENES Act Comments Due June 27 – Customize our Template and Weigh in Today
  50. Inside Medicare Rights Medicare Rights Annual Trends Report Outlines Key Challenges Facing People with Medicare
  51. Letters Joint Letter on Medicare Enrollment and the PHE Unwinding
  52. Medicare Watch CMS Announces Proposed Rule Implementing Important Medicare Enrollment Changes
  53. Medicare Watch Senators Introduce the Bipartisan BENES 2.0 Act to Further Simplify Medicare Enrollment 
  54. Medicare Watch New Study Connects Medicare with Reductions in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Insurance Coverage
  55. Medicare Watch Record Number of Americans Covered by Affordable Care Act Marketplaces and Expansion Medicaid
  56. Letters Letter Urging Biden Administration to Take Immediate Action on Key Issues Facing Medicare Beneficiaries
  57. Positions and Publications Simplify Medicare Enrollment
  58. Medicare Watch Key BENES Act Provisions Signed into Law
  59. Positions and Publications Summary of Policy Recommendations for the Biden Administration

Become a Medicare Champion

Champions keep the helpline free, the policy work loud, and the next generation of Medicare strong. When someone calls us at their most confused and frightened, a Champion is the reason we can pick up. Will you be one?

Yes, I'll Be a Champion →