AAPD Names Hearne Award Recipients

In a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Acting Secretary Norris Cochran, two leading Medicare beneficiary advocacy organizations, the Medicare Rights Center and the Center for Medicare Advocacy, urged the Biden Administration to take action to strengthen Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. The letter asked for simplifying Medicare transitions during the COVID-19 public health emergency, enhancing Medicare outreach and enrollment strategies and increasing regulatory review efforts. Looming deadlines and unmet needs make these improvements urgent, the letter stated.

A string of complaints from people with disabilities whose Medicaid insurance plans would not cover wheelchairs appropriate to their needs has led to new guidelines that took effect last month. For years, vague and conflicting language in New York State’s Medicaid law has encouraged insurance plans to refuse to pay for wheelchairs needed for use outside a person’s home, leaving many with disabilities stranded.