Special News
July 18, 2008

Significant Beneficiary Improvements
Included in Newly Enacted Medicare Bill

In a bipartisan vote this week, the House and Senate overwhelmingly overrode President Bush’s veto of H.R. 6331, the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act. The votes were 383-41 in the House and 70-26 in the Senate to override the veto of this significant legislation to help older Americans in critical ways.

NCOA strongly supported the bill and played a lead role in ensuring that it included important improvements to assist vulnerable, low-income beneficiaries. These include provisions to:

• Raise asset eligibility levels for the Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), which have never been adjusted to reflect inflation. Beginning in 2010, asset levels for the MSPs will be the same as that for the full Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (LIS).
• Provide an additional $25 million in resources to find and enroll low-income beneficiaries.
• Repeal the late enrollment premium penalty for low-income beneficiaries under the Medicare prescription drug program.
• Reduce barriers to MSP enrollment by better engaging the Social Security Administration and translating the model application form into other languages.
• Extend the Qualifying Individual program to Dec. 31, 2009.
• Eliminate burdensome questions on life insurance and in-kind support and maintenance from the Medicare Part D LIS application form.

NCOA also strongly supported other important beneficiary provisions included in the legislation, such as improving access to Medicare preventive care and making mental health co-payments for outpatient services under Medicare the same as that for other outpatient care.

Over the next few years, NCOA will continue to advocate for improvements to programs that assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and we look forward to partnering with you on this important work.

Read NCOA’s summary of the beneficiary improvements included in H.R. 6331.