Medicare

Three Medicare beneficiaries with a serious eye disease are claiming the Bush administration is violating the law by not allowing them to appeal its decision to deny coverage for a drug that could prevent them from going blind.

Medicare officials have issued guidelines allowing homebound beneficiaries to leave their homes for special occasions--such as family reunions, graduations or funerals--without losing their home health care benefits. More . . .

Congress has passed legislation allowing enrollees in Medicare managed care plans to return to regular Medicare or change plans at any time over the next three years, delaying restrictions that were scheduled to take effect this year. More .

The Bush administration has decided to comply with federal law and authorize Medicare coverage for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. More . . .

Two new consumer booklets from the Medicare Rights Center explain how Medicare dovetails with private insurance and how to appeal Medicare decisions.

Medigap insurance is expensive but still leaves large coverage holes for many beneficiaries, according to a new study by the General Accounting Office. The researchers also found that it pays to shop around for coverage.

On Thursday, June 14, the Bush administration announced that it would rename the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

A recently released survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health finds that 56 percent of respondents agreed that Medicare should be expanded to cover prescription drugs.