Medicare’s Open Enrollment Starts Oct 15th ~ Check Your Coverage Options & Your Mail
Read moreMedicare’s annual fall Open Enrollment is almost here! Running from October 15 – December 7, this is an important time to review your coverage and make any necessary changes for your coverage going forward as of January 1, 2019. During the open enrollment, you can join or switch Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Part...
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Time-Limited Equitable Relief for Part B Penalties Extended 1 More Year
Read moreThe Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) extended their time-limited equitable relief from Medicare Part B penalties for one more year. It is now set to expire September 30, 2019. Eligible beneficiaries include people who are in Marketplace plans and missed signing up for Medicare Part B during their Special Enrollment Period following...
CHA & Advocates Nationwide Push for Extended Equitable Relief
Read moreCalifornia Health Advocates, along with many national advocacy organizations nationwide, submitted this letter to urge the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend the existing equitable relief policy for Medicare Part B enrollment penalties. We asked for an extension of at least one year and/or until the agency demonstrates it has sufficiently...
Medicare Cost Plans Ending by 2019 ~ Make Sure Members Know Their Rights
Read moreWhile many people haven’t heard of Medicare Cost plans, those who have often see them as the “best of both worlds”. Cost plans are basically an HMO with the option to opt out of the plan’s limited network of providers and see any doctor using Original fee-for-service Medicare. They are like an HMO with...
Californians Deserve an Alternative to Nursing Homes ~ Support AB 2233
Read moreAB 2233 (Kaira) expands California’s Assisted Living Waiver Program, which offers seniors and persons with disabilities the option to receive Medi-Cal covered services in assisted living facilities, rather than nursing homes. This bill passed the legislature with nearly unanimous bipartisan support, and now it is up to Governor Brown to sign the bill into...
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Awards CHA Medicare Education Grant
Read moreCalifornia Health Advocates (CHA) is honored to receive a two-year grant from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (YDWN) to work with their elders and caregivers providing education on Medicare entitled benefits, their rights and access to care and how to spot and report fraud. CHA recognizes that one of the many ways the government...
Changes in Medicare Summary Notices Will Help Prevent Improper Billing
Read moreProviders, suppliers and pharmacies serving Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program are not allowed to bill these beneficiaries for Medicare Part A or B deductibles, coinsurance or copays. Yet, repeatedly we and other advocates hear of QMB beneficiaries being improperly billed for these Medicare costs. To help provide...
Ask Congress to Support Medically Necessary Oral Health Care
Read moreWe need your help getting Members of Congress to sign on to letters asking CMS to provide Medicare coverage for medically necessary dental care, as authorized by law. Right now there is an opportunity to encourage your delegation to sign on to these letters. Call (202) 224-3121 to be connected with your Senators...