Starting in the Fall of 2017, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (the Center) and other advocacy organizations highlighted that, in a marked change from previous practice, the Trump Administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) … [Read more...] about MEDICARE & YOU 2022 – An Important First Step Towards Reversing Bias in Favor of Medicare Advantage
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Private Equity Companies Continue Buying Nursing Facilities
Skilled Nursing News reports that the average price per nursing home bed increased nearly 22% in the first quarter of 2021 over 2020 prices.[1] Vikas Gupta, senior vice president of acquisitions and development at Omega Healthcare Investors, … [Read more...] about Private Equity Companies Continue Buying Nursing Facilities
Special Report | Who Provides Care for Nursing Home Residents? An Update on Temporary Nurse Aides
On March 20, 2020, at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and as part of a long list of blanket waivers and flexibilities granted to nursing facilities,[1] the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived the requirement that … [Read more...] about Special Report | Who Provides Care for Nursing Home Residents? An Update on Temporary Nurse Aides
Congress Begins Debate About Adding Dental, Hearing and Vision Benefits to Medicare – Now is the Time to Act
Congress is poised to strengthen our country’s safety net, including adding critical benefits to the Medicare program. Today, the House Ways & Means Committee began to mark-up legislation that would add dental, hearing and vision benefits to the … [Read more...] about Congress Begins Debate About Adding Dental, Hearing and Vision Benefits to Medicare – Now is the Time to Act
Get Ready – Medicare Open Enrollment Begins Next Month (10/15 – 12/7/2021)
Medicare’s Open Enrollment period – also known as the Annual Election Period or Annual Coordinated Election Period – runs from October 15 through December 7. During this time all Medicare beneficiaries can reevaluate their coverage, and make … [Read more...] about Get Ready – Medicare Open Enrollment Begins Next Month (10/15 – 12/7/2021)
Medicare is at a Crossroads – Time to Dispel Myths Hindering an Historic Expansion of Benefits
Congress is in the midst of putting together an historic legislative package that would expand and strengthen our country’s safety net in a number of ways, including broad changes to health coverage. This could include adding dental, hearing and … [Read more...] about Medicare is at a Crossroads – Time to Dispel Myths Hindering an Historic Expansion of Benefits
Study: Long-Term Care Facilities in Socially Isolated Neighborhoods Are Associated with 30-Day Mortality Risk
The coronavirus pandemic disproportionately impacted nursing homes. To date, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), over 134,000 residents have died from COVID-19, accounting for just under one-third of the pandemic’s … [Read more...] about Study: Long-Term Care Facilities in Socially Isolated Neighborhoods Are Associated with 30-Day Mortality Risk
Remembering Alfred J. Chiplin, Jr. – Celebrating a Great Friend
Alfred J. “Chip” Chiplin, Jr., Senior Policy Attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and managing attorney of our Washington, DC office, would have been 74 on September 3rd. Chip’s life was too short but his memory, the vigor of his beliefs, … [Read more...] about Remembering Alfred J. Chiplin, Jr. – Celebrating a Great Friend
Free Webinar, September 8th (2-3 pm) | Health Equity, Medicare, and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
Author Dr. David Smith of The Power to Heal: Civil Rights, Medicare, and the Struggle to Transform America’s Health Systemwill discuss Medicare’s role in the nation’s desegregation movement, systemic racism in our health systems, and the role that … [Read more...] about Free Webinar, September 8th (2-3 pm) | Health Equity, Medicare, and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
CMS Delays Adjusting Medicare Rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities to Reflect Changes in Therapy
Effective October 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a new reimbursement system for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), called Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM).[1] Although CMS intended for PDPM to be … [Read more...] about CMS Delays Adjusting Medicare Rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities to Reflect Changes in Therapy