Publications
Publications on the Issues
If you’re looking for answers to Medicare questions and further details about important issues, our online library is the place to start. Our extensive collection of reports covers a wide range of topics and is available right here:
Health Reform and Medicare
(Show Publications)
Get the Facts: Health Reform and Medicare (Update: February 2010)
December 24, 2009 Letter to Senate Majority Leader Reid and House Speaker Pelosi
December 1, 2009 Testimony of Paul Precht before the Senate Special Committee on Aging: "The Senate Health Care Reform Bill -- How Will It Benefit Seniors?"
Health Reform Check-Up: Better Preventive Care for People with Medicare
Health Reform Check-Up: Improvements to Drug and Medical Coverage under Medicare Private Plans
November 17, 2009 Letter in Support of H.R. 3961
Side-by-Side Comparison of Health Reform Bills' Impact on Medicare
November 2, 2009 Letter in Support of H.R. 3962
October 19, 2009 Letter to Senator Stabenow in Support of S.1776
Testimony of Joe Baker to New York State Senate Committee on Aging
Get the Facts: Health Reform and Medicare
Get the Facts: Health Reform and Medicare (Spanish)
September 23, 2009 Letter to Members of Senate Finance Committee
Improving Consumer Education
(Show Publications)
Proposal to Restructure and Improve Counseling and Education for Medicare Consumers
Memo to President-Elect Obama's Transition Team
(Show Publications)
Obama Administration Transition Memo
Obama Administration Transition Memo (with hyperlinks)
Private Health Plan Reform
(Show Publications)
Role Models and Cautionary Tales: Three Health Insurance Programs Demonstrate How Standardized Health Benefits Protect Consumers, July 2009
Informed Choice: The Case for Standardizing and Simplifying Medicare Private Health Plans, September 2007
Medicare Private Health Plans vs. Medicare Savings Programs: Which Is the Better Way to Help People with Low Incomes Afford Health Care?, September 2007
Too Good to Be True: The Fine Print in Medicare Private Health Plan Benefits, April 2007
Medicare: A National Treasure for Forty Years, July 2005
Private Plan Marketing Abuses
(Show Publications)
The Reluctant Regulator: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Response to Marketing Misconduct by Medicare Advantage Plans, July 2007
After the Goldrush: The Marketing of Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans, January 2007
Two-Year Waiting Period
(Show Publications)
Two-Year Waiting Period Fact Sheet, April 2009
Too Sick to Work, Too Soon for Medicare: The Human Cost of the Two-Year Medicare Waiting Period for Americans with Disabilities, April 2007
Letter to U.S. Senate Finance Committee
People with Low Incomes
(Show Publications)
Warning Signs: Preliminary Report Highlights Problems with State Implementation of MIPPA Low-Income Reforms, February 2010
Expanding Eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs: The Case for New York State, December 2007
Part D 2007: Addressing Access Problems for Low Income People with Medicare, November 2006
(Corrected Version, 12/7/06)
Protecting the Poorest Americans During the Medicare Drug Transition, September 2005
Improving the Part D Low Income Subsidy: Comments and Recommendations to Social Security, May 2005
MMA and Dual Eligibles: A Transition in Crisis, March 2005
The Medicare Low Income Drug Subsidy: Strategies to Maximize Participation, January 2005
An Investigative Report on Medicare Savings Programs in New York City: Local and State Involvement in Federal Programs Impedes Access for People with Low Incomes, December 2001
Part D Coverage Issues
(Show Publications)
Off-Base: The Exclusion of Off-label Prescriptions from Medicare Part D Coverage, August 2007
Norvir: Gouging Medicare on AIDS Drugs, January 2007
Clearing Hurdles and Hitting Walls: Restrictions Undermine Part D Coverage of Mental Health Drugs, September 2006
Making Medicare Therapy Management a Cornerstone of Community-Based Care for People with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Forms of Dementia, September 2006
Medicare Part D Appeals System Breaks Down, March 2006
Medicare Drug Plans Should Lift Restrictions on Mental Health Drugs, February 2006
Undermining Stability: The Plight of Mentally Ill Americans Under the 2006 Medicare Drug Benefit, August 2005
Critical Coverage: The Exclusion of Benzodiazepines under Medicare Part D, May 2005
Consumer Protections Under Part D
(Show Publications)
The Best Medicine: A Drug Coverage Option Under Original Medicare, October 2007
Getting The Runaround: Problems with Obtaining Accurate Information from Part D Plans, October 2006
Elimination of HMO Lock-In: A Vital Consumer Protection, June 2006
People Must Be Allowed to Change Their Drug Plan, May 2006
The Part D Enrollment Deadline Can and Should be Lifted, April 2006
Comments on CMS Draft 2007 Transition and Formulary Requirements March 6, 2006
The Knowledge Gap: Drug Plans Fail to Provide Critical Information to People with Medicare, February 2006
Consumers Face Inadequate Protections Concerning Medicare Part D Enrollment and/or Disenrollment Problems, November 2005
News from the Trenches: Consumers Speak out on Medicare Needs, May 2005
Medicare Transitions: Simple Steps for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to Bolster Consumer Information and Counseling, February 2005
Testimony and Statements
(Show Publications)
June 16, 2009 Letter to Senate about Medicare Coverage Gaps
May 22, 2009 Medicare Rights Center Comments to the Senate Finance Committee on Health Care Coverage
September 11, 2020 Testimony of Michealle Carpenter before the Senate Special Committee on Aging: "1-800 Medicare: It’s Time for a Check-Up"
July 24, 2020 Testimony of Paul Precht before the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: "Medicare Part D Drug Benefit"
July 17, 2020 Comments on Proposed Rules Concerning Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Benefit Programs
June 11, 2020 Letter to Cosponsors of Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2020
May 22, 2020 Letter from Senate Cancer Coalition to Senate Finance Committee on Off-Label Prescribing
April 7, 2020 Letter to Congressional Leadership on Medicare Advantage
October 16, 2007 Testimony of Paul Precht before the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittees on Health and Oversight: “Statutorily Required Audits of Medicare Advantage Plan Bids”
September 11, 2007 Testimony of Pia Allocca before the National Association of Insurance Commissioners
June 21, 2007 Testimony of Paul Precht before the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health: "Beneficiary Protections in Medicare Part D"
May 15, 2007 Testimony of Monica Sanchez before the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health: "Medicare Savings Plans and Low Income Subsidy: Keeping Medicare's Promise for Seniors and People with Disabilities"
May 3, 2007 Statement for the Record, Robert M. Hayes, Esq. for the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health: Medicare Programs for Low-Income Beneficiaries
May 2, 2007 Statement for the Record, Robert M. Hayes, Esq. for the Senate Finance Committee: The Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit: Monitoring Early Experiences
April 23, 2007 Response of Robert M. Hayes to the Medicare Trustees Report
July 18, 2006 Testimony of Robert M. Hayes, Esq. before the United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, "Another Year Another Billion Hours: Evaluating Paperwork Reduction Efforts in the Federal Government."
July 17, 2006 Testimony of Robert M. Hayes, Esq. before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee: An Oversight Hearing on Providing Relief to People with Medicare Who Have Fallen into the Prescription Drug 'Doughnut Hole'
June 14, 2006 Statement for the Record, Robert M. Hayes, Esq. for the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means: Implementation of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit
May 3, 2006 Testimony of Robert M. Hayes, Esq. for the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health: Implementation of Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Benefit
February 27, 2006 Statement for the Record, Robert M. Hayes, Esq.for the Democratic Policy Committee
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