This page is intended as a look at pending issues.  For more comprehensive information on a particular topic, please check our Info by Topic pages.

For national media stories, check out Medicare Advocacy in the News, news stories featuring the Center and our employees.

The information posted here is chronological by date, starting with the most recent items.  For even older items, see our Archived Articles.

• 09/02/10 - Medicare Payment for Smoking Cessation Counseling

• 08/26/10 - Extended Observation Stays in Acute Care Hospitals: Criticism, Legislation and Discussion

• 08/19/10 - Preventable Emergency Department Visits by Nursing Home Residents

• 08/12/10 - People with Higher Incomes will Pay More for Medicare

• 07/22/10 - Recommendations for a Beneficiary-Centered Office for Dual Eligibles

• 07/15/10 - Health Information Technology: A New Commitment to Meaningful Use

• 07/01/10 - Accountable Care Organizations Should Increase Care Coordination in Traditional Medicare

• 06/28/10 - Proposed Visitation Rights for Patients

• 06/24/10 - Health Reform: Linking Medicare Payment to Quality Outcomes

• 06/10/10 - Health Reform in Action - Donut Hole Rebate Checks Start Arriving June 10, 2010

• 05/28/10 - Beneficiary Information About the $250 Part D Rebate

• 05/27/10 - Health Reform Mandates Changes for Medigap Policies

• 05/20/10 - New GAO Report Demonstrates Need for Stronger Enforcement of Nursing Home Quality Standards: Health Reform Provisions Could Help

• 05/13/10 - Health Care Reform Brings State High Risk Health Insurance Pools

• 05/06/10 - A New Entity from Health Reform: the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation

• 04/29/10 - Pennsylvania Settles Lawsuit to Increase Access to Medicare for Low Income Beneficiaries

• 04/22/10 - Health Care Reform and Low Income Beneficiaries

• 04/21/10 - White House Health Care Reform Timeline

• 04/15/10 - Medicare Advantage and Part D News - for 2011

• 04/08/10 - Changes to Medicare Advantage Plans and Prescription Drug Plans Under Health Care Reform

• 04/01/10 - Interim Final Rules to Implement the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 Go Into Effect on April 5, 2010

• 03/25/10 - Off-Label Drug Use is Common and Hurts Nursing Home Residents

• 03/25/10 - Health Reform Legislation is Now Law

• 03/18/10 - Making Health Information Technology Meaningful

• 03/18/10 - Flash: Health Care Reform News

• 03/17/09 - National Health Care Decisions Day is April 16, 2009.  Now  is the time to to talk to your loved ones about end-of-life planning.

• 03/11/10 - CMS Sanctions Missouri Medicaid for Overly Restrictive Home Health Standards

• 03/11/10 - CMS Terminates Its Medicare Contract with a Part D Plan     (Espanol)

• 03/11/10 - Puerto Rican Birth Certificates to Become Invalid     (Español)

• 03/04/10 - Medicare General Enrollment Will End March 31: Limited Opportunity for Some States to Expand QMB Coverage

• 03/04/10 - Temporary Extension Act Affects Medicare Therapy Caps Exception Process, Medicare Physician's Payments, and Other Programs

• 03/01/10 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Advises States about Medicare Savings Program Enrollment

• 02/25/10 - States Get Fiscal relief for Some Part D Related Expenses

• 02/25/10 - Waiver of Collection from Beneficiaries in the Medicare Secondary Payer Program

• 02/18/10 - "Observation Services": What can Beneficiaries and Advocates Do?

• 02/18/10 - Notice of Special Enrollment Period for Certain Beneficiaries in Universal American Medicare advantage Plans

• 02/11/10 - Health Care Reform: The ABC's of Delivery System Reform

• 02/04/10 - Nursing Home Residents' Access to Physicians and Pain Medication

• 01/28/10 - New Federal Poverty Levels will affect eligibility for many federal health programs.

• 01/21/10 - Part B Premium: Who Pays What, and Why?

• 01/14/10 - Medicare Issues Final Rules for Medicare Appeals

• 01/07/10 - Serious Deficiencies in Nursing Facilities are Understated, and the Problem May Get Worse

• 12/31/09 - Enter 2010: Some Good, Some Not So Good, Health Coverage News

• 12/24/09 - Goodbye POS, Hello LI NET: New Process for Dual Eligibles who Aren't Yet Enrolled in a Part D Plan When They Get to the Pharmacy

• 12/17/09 - Medicare for People with Chronic Conditions

• 12/08/09 - Medicare to Cover HIV Screening Tests

• 12/08/09 - January Begins Limited Opportunity for Some States to Expand QMB Coverage

• 12/03/09 - Medicare and Discharge Planning: Thinking Through Your Needs

• 11/24/09 - Health Disparities 101: Why Eliminating Health Disparities Should Be Included In Health Care Reform

• 11/19/09 - Home for the Holidays!  You CAN leave the nursing home

• 11/12/09 - Medicare Annual Enrollment Period Starts November 15, 2009: Think Carefully about Coverage and Options

• 11/05/09 - Medicare and Related Provisions in Health Care Reform Legislation

• 10/29/09 - When Medicare Advantage plans Do Not Renew Their Contracts

• 10/22/09 - CMS Releases 2010 Medicare Cost-Sharing Amounts

• 10/22/09 - CMS Moves Forward with its Competitive Bidding Program for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS)

• 10/22/09 - Hospice News: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

• 10/15/09 - CMS Reins in Overpayments to Skilled Nursing Facilities

• 10/08/09 - It's October: Time to Review Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

• 10/01/09 - 2010 Brings Improvements to Programs for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries

• 09/24/09 - CMS Acts to Stop Misleading Medicare Private Plan Communications about Health Care Reform

• 09/24/09 - Swine Flu, Seasonal Flu, and Medicare

• 09/17/09 - Limits on Medicare's Recovery of Health Care Payments when the Beneficiary has Liability or Workers' Compensation Insurance

• 09/10/09 - Why Health Care Reform is GOOD for Medicare Beneficiaries

• 09/03/09 - Private Profits, Cost Shifting, and the Need for a Public Plan Option

• 08/27/09 - Social Security: No Cost of Living Adjustment; Medicare: Higher Premiums for Some

• 08/20/09 - The difficulty Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy (LIS) beneficiaries have with private plans is a cautionary tale for health care reform.

• 08/13/09 - Countering Health Reform Misinformation

• 08/06/09 - Protect private Medicare enrollees from marketing abuses: limit Federal preemption.

• 07/30/09 - Proposed Medicare advisory organizations could help AND hurt.

• 07/16/09 - Certain dually eligible beneficiaries must take affirmative steps to enroll in a Medicare Part D plan.

• 07/16/09 - Are you a Wellpoint customer?  You may be eligible for a special enrollment period if your plan was dropped.

• 06/25/09 - Who do we want in control of health care?

• 06/18/09 - Do you need help to get prescription drugs?

• 06/11/09 - Exceptions to Medicare Therapy Caps

• 06/04/09 - Health care reformers should not forget to look at Health Information technology as a reform tool.

• 06/03/09 - What we need in a public health plan: the indispensable Dozen.

• 05/28/09 - Older Americans' Mental Health Week is May 24-30, so let's look at mental health services that are available under Medicare.

• 05/21/09 - Want real health care reform?  Support a public plan option!

• 05/21/09 - Stimulus checks are coming for nursing home residents.  CMS has made it clear that money belongs to the residents.

• 05/14/09 - CMS is taking steps to undo skilled nursing facility (SNF) overpayment and abuse.

• 05/07/09 - Recent documents from CMS mean changes for private Medicare plans.

• 04/30/09 - Stimulus checks are coming for nursing home residents.  Who keeps that money?  The residents.

• 04/16/09 - Nursing Home Industry Makes Secret Survey and Enforcement Proposals to Congress.

• 04/09/09 - Medicare Changes for Oxygen Equipment Payment and Maintenance.

• 04/02/09 - It's past time for a coordinated care benefit in the traditional Medicare program.

• 03/26/09 - The Medicare "Improvement Standard" is a barrier to necessary care.

• 03/05/09 - More good news from the Stimulus Act for beneficiaries - a cash benefit, facility improvements, and more.

• 02/26/09 - Competitive bidding program for suppliers for certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) delayed until April 18, 2009

• 02/19/09 - Stimulus Act helps people in need as well as the economy - QI program extended, help with COBRA premiums, and more.

• 02/12/09 - It's time for a real Medicare prescription drug plan.

• 01/29/09 - Assisted Living Facility residents can lose their homes if their facility stops participating in Medicaid.

• 01/22/09 - CMS releases final rules for Parts C and D; further review requested by the President's Chief of Staff.

• 01/15/09 - Beware of Private Fee For Service plans as Medicare open enrollment continues.

• 01/08/09 - Medicare Part B Premium adjusted due to income?  You may be able to challenge the increase.

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