• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
California Health Advocates

California Health Advocates

  • Contact
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact
    • Our Team
    • Mission
    • Education Services
    • About HICAP
    • Press
    • Testimonials
  • MEDICARE COUNSELING
  • Fact Sheets
  • Topics
    • The Basics
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Low-Income Help
    • Medigap
    • Medicare Advantage
    • Other Health Insurance
    • Appeals
    • Billing & Claims
    • Disabilities
    • Long-Term Care
    • Tribal Nations & Medicare
    • Health Care Reform
    • Advocacy & Policy
    • Glossary
  • Fraud & Abuse
  • Medicare Complaints
  • Blog
  • Donate

Tell Congress to Say Yes to Medicare Improvements ~ Now is the Time!

California Health Advocates > Health Care Reform > Tell Congress to Say Yes to Medicare Improvements ~ Now is the Time!

Posted by Karen Joy Fletcher on August 19, 2021

Capitol Hill, at the eastern end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

In mid August, the Senate passed a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, followed by a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint reconciliation bill passed on party-lines that would make it possible to expand education, child care, climate change initiatives and health care, including many key improvements to Medicare. While the road ahead to passage could be arduous, if the House takes up and fleshes out the vision of this legislation, this would be “the greatest change to social welfare since the 1960s’ Great Society,” as stated in the New York Times.

Supporting this legislation could bring to life many improvements to the lives of American children, parents and elders and our environment. In terms of Medicare, we are joining efforts with our partners at the Center for Medicare Advocacy and other national advocacy organizations to call on Congress and the Administration to prioritize the following improvements to Medicare, including:

  • Adding an out-of-pocket cap to Original Medicare
  • Adding a comprehensive Oral Health Benefit
  • Adding hearing coverage
  • Expanding vision coverage
  • Reducing prescription drug prices and out-of-pocket costs
  • Improving the Medicare Savings Programs’ low-income protections
  • Strengthening the Home Health Benefit
  • Improving chronic care
  • Improving Medigap enrollment options and coverage

Please voice your support and ask your elected officials to strengthening Medicare in these ways. This is an action alert issued by our partners at Center for Medicare Advocacy. You can also sign a separate action alert for adding an Oral Health Benefit. For more information on these proposed Medicare improvements, see CMA’s recent letter. Thanks in advance for taking action. Together we can make Medicare stronger and help improve the lives of many.

Filed Under: Health Care Reform, Low-Income help, Medicare Basics, Medigap, Prescription Drugs - Blog, Professionals

Previous Post: « Final California Budget Makes Historic Investments for Older Adults
Next Post: Recall Alert for Philips Ventilators & Sleep Apnea Devices »

About Karen Joy Fletcher

Our blogger Karen Joy Fletcher is CHA's Communications Director. With a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley, she is the online "public face" of the organization, provides technical expertise, writing and research on Medicare and other health care issues. She is responsible for digital content creation, management of CHA’s editorial calendar, and managing all aspects of CHA’s social media presence. She loves being a "communicator" and enjoys networking and collaborating with the passionate people and agencies in the health advocacy field. See her current articles.

Related Posts

  • How Does the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 Affect Medicare?
  • Medicare Expands Part B Immunosuppressive Drug Benefit for People with Kidney Transplants
  • House Passes Historic Bill to Lower Drug Prices & Expand Medicare
  • Call Today to Save Our Health Care & Say No to AHCA ~ National Call-In Day 6/14

Primary Sidebar

Change Text Size

  • 100%  110%  120%  130%  

News & Blog Categories

  • Medicare Advantage
  • Low-Income help
  • Medicare & Disabilities
  • Medicare Basics
  • Prescription Drugs
  • Medicare & Other Health Insurance
  • Medicare Billings, Claims & Appeals
  • Health Care Disparities
  • Fraud & Abuse

—

  • COVID-19
  • Resources
  • Health Care Reform
  • Long-Term Care
  • CHA News

—

  • Advocacy & Policy
  • Letters and Comments to Policymakers
  • Legislative and Congressional Testimony
  • Policy Briefs

Send Us Comment

Do you have comments or concerns about your Medicare coverage? Issues regarding getting your needed prescriptions from your Part D plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan representative's marketing practices? Let us know at comments@cahealthadvocates.org.

We are dedicated to making Medicare's program work well for all beneficiaries. Your feedback from your own or your client's concerns and experiences with Medicare, will guide our Medicare advocacy efforts with key policy and decision-makers in both California and nationally with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Congress.

Archives

Donate Today

Footer

Sign up for our newsletter

Choose the news you'd like to receive

Important Links

  • About Us
  • Fact Sheets
  • Blog
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Privacy Notice
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Follow Us

Copyright © 2023 · California Health Advocates · Web Design by TWK Web and Print Design · Log in