Developed by the Medicare Rights Center, Medicare Watch is a weekly newsletter providing Medicare news and policy developments, as well as useful Medicare reminders. We hope you enjoy this week's issue.

Older Adults Among Those Hardest Hit by the American Health Care Act

Earlier this week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its highly anticipated analysis of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and what its passage would mean for American families. The CBO estimate confirms our worst fears—24 million people would lose health coverage over the next decade.

The report affirms that older adults will be among those hardest hit by the proposal. If the AHCA becomes law, the number of uninsured would increase most significantly among low-income Americans ages 50 to 64...



How the American Health Care Act Affects Medicare

This week, two prominent policy organizations published articles on how the American Health Care Act (AHCA)—the Republican bill put forward to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—would change the Medicare program. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) identify the AHCA’s Medicare provisions and illustrate the potential impact of the changes...



Medicare Reminder

If you are dissatisfied with your Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plan for any reason, you can choose to file a grievance. A grievance is an official complaint that you file with your plan. It is not an appeal, which is a request for your plan to cover a service or item it has denied. For example, you may want to file a grievance if your plan has poor customer service or takes too long to process your appeal. In some cases, you may want to file both an appeal and a grievance.

To file a grievance, send a letter to your plan’s Grievance and Appeals department. Contact your plan for the address. You can also file a grievance by calling your plan, but it is best to send your complaints in writing. Be sure to send your grievance to your plan within 60 days of the event that led to your grievance. You may also want to send a copy of the grievance to your regional Medicare office and to your Congressional legislators. Go to www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE to find out the address of your regional Medicare office. Keep a copy of any correspondence for your records.

Your plan must investigate your grievance and get back to you within 30 days. If your request is urgent, your plan must get back to you within 24 hours. If you have not heard back from your plan within this time, you can call your plan or 1-800-MEDICARE to check on the status of your grievance.

Learn more about your Medicare rights on Medicare Interactive.

Congressional leaders are rushing to enact a plan that would rip health coverage away from 24 million Americans, impose an unaffordable “age tax” on health care for older adults, end Medicaid as we know it, and undermine the Medicare guarantee. Today is the day to make your voice heard.

Call 866-426-2631 to contact your member of Congress.

Tell your member of Congress to protect our care by joining today’s national call-in day. Urge your representative to vote “no” on the American Health Care Act.

Visit the Medicare Rights blog for a list of helpful talking points.

Medicare Rights works to protect and strengthen Medicare to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities. Our work is made possible by your donations. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution today.



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