Medicare Rights Center

Last updated

The Medicare Rights Center is a nonprofit organization founded in June 1989 as the Medicare Beneficiaries Defense Fund (MBDF) by Diane Archer. The organization's self-declared mission is to "ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives." [1]

One of the first actions of the MBDF was to bring a 1989 lawsuit brought against the federal government on the grounds that the Medicare Explanation of Benefits (EOB) failed to mention limits on what a doctor may charge for a service or what a beneficiary must pay. [2]

That same year, Archer set up a "national consumer helpline" in order to provide counseling to Medicare recipients. The helpline then publishes an 'annual trends report' summarizing the content of these calls made to the Center. [3]

The Medicare Rights Center also maintains an online reference and coursework tool called Medicare Interactive (MI). [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

Medicare (United States) United States single-payer national social insurance program

Medicare is a national health insurance program in the United States, begun in 1965 under the Social Security Administration (SSA) and now administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). It primarily provides health insurance for Americans aged 65 and older, but also for some younger people with disability status as determined by the SSA, including people with end stage renal disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services United States federal agency

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance portability standards. In addition to these programs, CMS has other responsibilities, including the administrative simplification standards from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), quality standards in long-term care facilities through its survey and certification process, clinical laboratory quality standards under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, and oversight of HealthCare.gov. CMS was previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) until 2001.

Social Security Administration Independent agency of the U.S. federal government

The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify for most of these benefits, most workers pay Social Security taxes on their earnings; the claimant's benefits are based on the wage earner's contributions. Otherwise benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are given based on need.

American Medical Association United States association of physicians and medical students

The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016.

Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act

The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act, also called the Medicare Modernization Act or MMA, is a federal law of the United States, enacted in 2003. It produced the largest overhaul of Medicare in the public health program's 38-year history.

Telephone counseling refers to any type of psychological service performed over the telephone. Telephone counseling ranges from individual, couple or group psychotherapy with a professional therapist to psychological first aid provided by para-professional counselors. In-person therapists often advise clients to make use of telephone crisis counseling to provide the client with an avenue to obtain support outside of therapy if they cannot be reached in an emergency or at the conclusion of a therapeutic relationship.

Medicare Part D United States prescription drug benefit for the elderly and disabled

Medicare Part D, also called the Medicare prescription drug benefit, is an optional United States federal-government program to help Medicare beneficiaries pay for self-administered prescription drugs. Part D was enacted as part of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and went into effect on January 1, 2006. Under the program, drug benefits are provided by private insurance plans that receive premiums from both enrollees and the government. Part D plans typically pay most of the cost for prescriptions filled by their enrollees. However, plans are later reimbursed for much of this cost through rebates paid by manufacturers and pharmacies.

Tricare

Tricare, formerly known as the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services (CHAMPUS), is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. Tricare provides civilian health benefits for U.S Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents, including some members of the Reserve Component. Tricare is the civilian care component of the Military Health System, although historically it also included health care delivered in military medical treatment facilities.

This article refers to the health care company Primaris. See also Primaris Airlines and Primaris REIT.

In the healthcare industry, pay for performance (P4P), also known as "value-based purchasing", is a payment model that offers financial incentives to physicians, hospitals, medical groups, and other healthcare providers for meeting certain performance measures. Clinical outcomes, such as longer survival, are difficult to measure, so pay for performance systems usually evaluate process quality and efficiency, such as measuring blood pressure, lowering blood pressure, or counseling patients to stop smoking. This model also penalizes health care providers for poor outcomes, medical errors, or increased costs. Integrated delivery systems where insurers and providers share in the cost are intended to help align incentives for value-based care.

Medigap refers to various private health insurance plans sold to supplement Medicare in the United States. Medigap insurance provides coverage for many of the co-pays and some of the co-insurance related to Medicare-covered hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health care, ambulance, durable medical equipment, and doctor charges. Medigap's name is derived from the notion that it exists to cover the difference or "gap" between the expenses reimbursed to providers by Medicare Parts A and B for the preceding named services and the total amount allowed to be charged for those services by the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Medicare Part D coverage gap is a period of consumer payment for prescription medication costs which lies between the initial coverage limit and the catastrophic-coverage threshold, when the consumer is a member of a Medicare Part D prescription-drug program administered by the United States federal government. The gap is reached after shared insurer payment - consumer payment for all covered prescription drugs reaches a government-set amount, and is left only after the consumer has paid full, unshared costs of an additional amount for the same prescriptions. Upon entering the gap, the prescription payments to date are re-set to $0 and continue until the maximum amount of the gap is reached OR the current annual period lapses. In calculating whether the maximum amount of gap has been reached, the "True-out-of-pocket" costs (TROOP) are added together. "TrOOP includes the amount of your Initial Deductible and your co-payments or co-insurance during the Initial Coverage stage. While in the Donut Hole, it includes what you pay when you fill a prescription and of the 75% Donut Hole discount on brand-name drugs, it includes the 70% Donut Hole Discount paid by the drug manufacturer. The additional 5% Donut Hole discount on brand-name drugs and the 75% Donut Hole discount on generics do not count toward TrOOP as they are paid by your Medicare Part D plan."

In the United States, Medicare fraud is the claiming of Medicare health care reimbursement to which the claimant is not entitled. There are many different types of Medicare fraud, all of which have the same goal: to collect money from the Medicare program illegitimately.

Medicare Advantage is a type of health insurance plan in the United States that provides Medicare benefits through a private-sector health insurer. In a Medicare Advantage plan, a Medicare beneficiary pays a monthly premium to a private insurance company and receives coverage for inpatient hospital and outpatient services. Typically, the plan also includes prescription drug coverage. Many plans also offer additional benefits, such as dental coverage or gym memberships. By contrast, under so-called "Original Medicare", a Medicare beneficiary pays a monthly premium to the federal government and receives coverage for Part A and Part B services, but must purchase other coverage separately.

The healthcare reform debate in the United States has been a political issue focusing upon increasing medical coverage, decreasing costs, insurance reform, and the philosophy of its provision, funding, and government involvement.

Healthcare rationing in the United States exists in various forms. Access to private health insurance is rationed on price and ability to pay. Those unable to afford a health insurance policy are unable to acquire a private plan except by employer-provided and other job-attached coverage, and insurance companies sometimes pre-screen applicants for pre-existing medical conditions. Applicants with such conditions may be declined cover or pay higher premiums and/or have extra conditions imposed such as a waiting period.

An accountable care organization (ACO) is a healthcare organization that ties provider reimbursements to quality metrics and reductions in the cost of care. ACOs in the United States are formed from a group of coordinated health-care practitioners. They use alternative payment models, normally, capitation. The organization is accountable to patients and third-party payers for the quality, appropriateness and efficiency of the health care provided. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an ACO is "an organization of health care practitioners that agrees to be accountable for the quality, cost, and overall care of Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in the traditional fee-for-service program who are assigned to it".

The Vandrevala Foundation is an NGO established by Cyrus Vandrevala and Priya Vandrevala in 2008. In 2009, it established the "Mental Health - India" initiative to raise awareness for and provide services to mentally ill or emotionally distressed individuals. Priya Vandrevala is the estranged daughter of Niranjan Hiranandani; father and daughter are fighting several cases in court against each other.

Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act Proposed legislation

The Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act is proposed legislation in the 117th United States Congress. The bill is designed to lower prescription drug costs in the United States. Notably, the law gives the federal government the power to negotiate prescription drug prices. The legislation takes the name of late Maryland Representative Elijah Cummings.

The Patient Access Network Foundation is a US-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that works to help Americans pay for medical procedures. The organization was ranked #34 in Forbes' 2019 list of "top 100 US Charities", with private donations in 2019 totaling $434 million dollars. PAN Foundation reports it has given over $4 billion dollars to almost one million people since its inception in 2004.

References

  1. "About Medicare Rights Center". Medicare Rights Center. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  2. McReynolds, J.E. (1992-04-08). "Medicare Overcharges Seen Advocates Say Doctor Bill Limits Too Hazy". NewsOK.com. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
  3. "Report: Medicare beneficiaries are often confused about enrollment deadlines, struggle to pay". FierceHealthcare. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  4. "Medicare Interactive". Medicare Interactive. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  5. Franklin, Mary Beth (12 April 2017). "Courses available to become a Medicare pro". www.investmentnews.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.