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Coverage and Benefits

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

About This Issue

Medicare provides health coverage to over 67 million older adults and people with disabilities, paying for important medical care in hospital and outpatient settings. Nearly 12.5 million beneficiaries also rely on Medicaid, which helps with affordability through the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), and covers services Medicare does not, such as long-term services and supports.

We support strengthening Medicare and Medicaid, modernizing benefits and financial assistance, and bolstering the workers and caregivers who deliver this vital care.

On This Issue

Resources, News & Coverage

100 items

  1. Medicare Watch AARP Assesses Utilization of New Medicare Caregiver Training Services
  2. Positions and Publications What the Affordable Care Act Means for Older Adults
  3. Positions and Publications What Medicare Premium Support Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  4. Positions and Publications What Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  5. Positions and Publications What Medicaid Cuts Mean for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  6. Positions and Publications What Medicaid Waivers Mean for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  7. Positions and Publications What Medicare Private Contracting Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  8. Positions and Publications What Medicare Means Testing Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  9. Comments Comments on HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027
  10. Medicare Watch Proposed Rules are a Mixed Bag but Take Important Steps to Bolster Primary Care 
  11. Medicare Watch House Committees Mark Up Medicare Bills That Aim for Improvements, but Have Unintended Consequences 
  12. Comments Comments on 2026 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)
  13. Comments Comments on the Proposed 2026 Physician Fee Schedule
  14. Medicare Watch Reconciliation Bill Timeline Stretches Far Into Future, Giving Some Opportunities for Correction
  15. Medicare Watch Medicare Advantage Enrollees Need Better Information On Supplemental Benefits
  16. KFF Health News Have Job-Based Health Coverage at 65? You May Still Want To Sign Up for Medicare (opens in a new tab)
  17. The Bulwark Yes, They’re Going After Medicare Too (opens in a new tab)
  18. Positions and Publications Medicare Financing: Shifting the Focus to Sustainability in Addition to Solvency
  19. Positions and Publications Medicare Site Neutrality: Pursuing a More Rational Payment System
  20. Press Release House Republicans Unveil Proposals That Threaten Vital Health Care for Millions of Americans 
  21. Medicare Watch Congress Moves to Cut Medicaid
  22. Medicare Watch Trump Administration and DOGE Eliminate Staff Who Help Older Adults and People With Disabilities
  23. Press Release Cuts to HHS Threaten Older Adults and People with Disabilities
  24. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights, Partners Ask SCOTUS: Preserve Preventative Care Requirement in Braidwood
  25. The New York Times Bridging the Medicare Cost Gap: Know Your Options (opens in a new tab)
  26. Medicare Watch Proposed Rule Would Improve Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization and Transparency
  27. Press Release Medicare Rights Center Highlights Top Challenges for Medicare Beneficiaries in 2023 Trends Report 
  28. Positions and Publications Medicare Trends and Recommendations
  29. Medicare Watch Medicare in 2025: Key Changes and Updates
  30. Medicare Watch 2025: A Year of Old Threats and New Opportunities
  31. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Urges Congress to Strengthen Medicare and Medicaid in Year-End Legislation
  32. Medicare Watch Incremental Expansion of Dental Coverage in Medicare Continues Under Biden Administration
  33. Medicare Watch CMS Announces 2025 Premiums and Deductibles for Medicare Parts A and B
  34. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Supports Expansion of Medicare Home Health to Allow Beneficiaries to Age in Place
  35. Medicare Watch CMS Announces Changes to PrEP Coverage
  36. Medicare Watch Proposed Rules Would Improve Coverage and Care
  37. Comments 2025 Physician Fee Schedule
  38. Medicare Watch On the Anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act: Significant Part D Changes Already in Action, More to Come
  39. Medicare Watch New Rules May Curb Ongoing Discrimination in Medigap Plans
  40. Medicare Watch Medicare Poised to Add Important HIV Drug to Preventive Service List
  41. The Commonwealth Fund How a New Federal Rule Could Curb Discrimination in Medigap Plans (opens in a new tab)
  42. Medicare Watch Guidance on Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Prescription Payment Plan Released
  43. Medicare Watch New Brookings Whitepaper Examines Health Care Landscape for Older Adults
  44. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Applauds Congressional Work to Expand Medicare Access, Urges Changes to Align Legislation With Those Goals
  45. Letters Letter Asking House Ways and Means Committee to Revisit Recent Medicare Bills
  46. KFF Health News Lack of Affordability Tops Older Americans’ List of Health Care Worries (opens in a new tab)
  47. Positions and Publications Medicare Reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act
  48. Medicare Watch Coverage Gaps Keep Medicare Beneficiaries from Needed Care
  49. Medicare Watch Aligning Medicare Payment Across Settings Would Reduce Costs for Patients and Program
  50. Medicare Watch KFF Report Highlights Medicare Coverage Rules for Sexual and Reproductive Health Services
  51. Medicare Watch Medicare Vaccine Uptake Increasing, Inflation Reduction Act’s Role Still Unknown to Many
  52. Medicare Watch New Data on Impact of Inflation Reduction Act Shows Lower Health Care Costs for Women
  53. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights President Urges Caution for Telehealth in Testimony Before Congressional Health Subcommittee
  54. Press Release Medicare Rights Center Urges Caution When Weighing Permanent Changes to Medicare Telehealth
  55. Statements & Testimony Testimony: Legislative Proposals to Support Patient Access to Telehealth Services
  56. Fortune Does Medicare pay for wheelchairs and scooters? That depends on whether you meet all of its requirements (opens in a new tab)
  57. Medicare Watch Coverage Experiences Vary for Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage Enrollees
  58. CBS News New York Some patients with Medicare are now being charged for breast ultrasounds, physicians say (opens in a new tab)
  59. Medicare Watch Many Adults Confused and Anxious about Long-Term Services and Supports
  60. Medicare Watch Understanding the Medicare Advantage and Medigap Dilemma
  61. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Urges Congress: Same Service, Same Price
  62. Medicare Watch New Rules Expand Medicare Dental Coverage for Some
  63. Medicare Watch New Issue Brief Outlines Ways Medicare Should Support Family Caregivers
  64. Medicare Watch Expanded Medicare Coverage of Dental, Mental Health, Substance Use, and Caregiver Services on the Horizon
  65. Medicare Watch Report Sheds Light on State Long-Term Services and Supports
  66. Statements & Testimony Statement for the Record on Medicare Revenues and Program Sustainability
  67. Medicare Watch New Studies on Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Care Highlight the Need for Parity in Medicare
  68. Medicare Watch Proposed Rules Would Extend and Ease Access to Medicare Medically Necessary Dental Care
  69. Positions and Publications Increasing Access to Medicare Savings Programs: Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendations from New York
  70. Medicare Watch HHS Projects Significant Medicare Beneficiary Savings Under the IRA
  71. Medicare Watch The Inflation Reduction Act’s Part B Insulin Price Takes Effect July 1
  72. Medicare Watch Medicare Coverage Win for Wheelchair Users
  73. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Seeks to Boost Automatic Enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs
  74. Medicare Watch House-Passed Bill Would Put Millions at Risk of Losing Medicaid Coverage
  75. Medicare Watch White House Announces Executive Order Aimed at Bolstering Care Work
  76. Medicare Watch Medicare Rights Center Reminds New Yorkers to Review their Benefits Enrollment in Advance of Medicaid Changes
  77. Medicare Watch COVID-19 Medicaid Enrollment Protections End This Week
  78. Comments Proposed Coverage of Power Seat Elevation Equipment
  79. Medicare Watch President’s Budget Outlines Policy and Spending Priorities
  80. Times Union Advocates Say an Aging New York Needs More State Investment (opens in a new tab)
  81. Comments Comments on the Conscience Proposed Rule
  82. Positions and Publications Medicare Coverage Gaps: Care Inside the Home and DME in the Community
  83. Positions and Publications Medicare and Health Equity
  84. Positions and Publications Filling Gaps in Medicare Coverage: Dental, Vision, and Hearing
  85. Positions and Publications Medicare Coverage Gaps: The Need to Curb Beneficiary Out-of-Pocket Spending
  86. Positions and Publications Medicare Hospital Outpatient and Observation Status: The Three-Day Stay Problem
  87. Positions and Publications Improving Medicare Savings Programs
  88. Positions and Publications Access to Medicare Supplemental Insurance Policies (Medigaps)
  89. AARP New York NY’s $4.4 Billion Question: Why Are State & Its Neediest Missing Out on Major Federal Assistance? (opens in a new tab)
  90. Medicare Watch New Report Spotlights Underuse of Medicare Savings Programs
  91. Medicare Watch Year-End Funding Package Includes Medicare and Medicaid Policies
  92. Medicare Watch The Time is Now for Medicare Savings Program Enrollment Improvements
  93. Medicare Watch New Enrollment Periods and Cost Savings Take Effect in 2023
  94. Press Release New York Medicare Savings Program Eligibility Expansion Now in Effect
  95. NBC New York Medicare Savings Program for 2023 (opens in a new tab)
  96. Medicare Watch Looking Ahead: Medicare in 2023 and Beyond
  97. Medicare Watch Medicare in 2022: The Year in Review
  98. Medicare Watch New Report Examines Shift to Medicare Advantage by Large Employers that Offer Retiree Health Benefits
  99. Medicare Watch Aging Organizations Identify Priorities for the Current Lame Duck Session in Letter to Congressional Leadership
  100. Medicare Watch New Issue Brief Explores Proposed Rule’s Potential to Stabilize Medicare Savings Program and Medicaid Coverage

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