Medicare: 50 Years of Value and Service for America

MEDICARE: Center for AL Medicare Advocacy IMPROVING ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE SINCEI965 BEFORE MEDICARE LESS THAN LIFE EXPECTANCY WAS ABOUT 50% 35% 8 5 FUN FACTS of those aged 65+ lived in poverty years less for men years less for women had insurance President Harry Truman was the first MEDICARE WAS OFFICIALLY SIGNED INTO LAW ON July 30, 1965 ist official Medicare en rollee Poverty among older and disabled Americans dec rea sed Personal economic security increased for older people and their families More than 19 million people enrolled in Medicare's first year Access to ca re increased by one-third $3 The monthly Part B premium was only $3.00 by nearly two-thi rds /3 2/3 19M MEDICARE HAS SERVED AMERICA WELL, AND INCREASED HEALTH EQUITY 1965 1972 Any hospital wishing to accept Medicare was required to desegregate. As a result, 1,000+ hospit als integrated staff and patients in 4 months. Congress acts so people no longer need hospital or nursing home care to get Home Health coverage, and the 100-visit limit is removed, improving access to home care for Disability coverage is introduced for people under 65 with long-term disabilities. 1980 More than 6 mill ion people with disabilities gain health insurance. people with long-term and chronic conditions. 1985 1982 Medicare Supplement Insurance ("Medigap") plans are standardized, making coverage more understandable and Medicare more affordable by covering beneficiary cost-sharing. Hospice coverage is added, impacting millions of Americans. Any hospital that participates in Medicare and has an ER is required to provide basic stabilizing treatments to all, regardless of insurance status. 1992 Almost half of the beneficiaries who died in 2013 received hospice care. Prescription drug coverage is added to Medicare, but only through private plans, not traditional Medicare. This encourages people to join private Medicare, at greater expense to the program. 2006 "Improvement Standard" clarified by Jimmo v. Sebelius Settlement: Center for Medicare Advocacy wins lawsuit confirming Medicare is available for skilled maintenance nursing or therapy, increasing access to health care for people with long-term and chronic conditions. 2008 The Affordable Care Act positively impacts Medicare with: 10 years of economic security for the Medicare Trust Fund Mental health coverage is improved, controlling program costs and increasing parity. Free preventive benefits and annual Wellness Visit 2012 Increased payment parity between private Medicare Advantage plans and traditional Medicare 2010 Better Part D prescription drug coverage Today there MEDICARE IS A SUCCESS. KEEP IT STRONG. TODAY are more than TO KEEP ITS PROMISE FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, WE NEED TO: 54M Eliminate the unnecessary second level of the traditional Medicare Pay private Medicare Advantage plans the same per-beneficiary rate as traditional Medicare, saving $132 billion over 10 years. Require Medicare to obtain the best prices for prescription drugs, including negotiating drug prices, saving $141 billion over 10 years. Add a people enrolled in Medicare. prescription drug benefit to Appeals process ("Reconsideration"), saving more than $100 million per year in operating costs. traditional Medicare. For other recommendations to strengthen Medicare, see bit.ly/medicaresolutions. For more information visit MedicareAdvocacy.org or follow us on Twitter @CMAorg and on Facebook at facebook.com/MedicareAdvocacy.org. Im age: Gatteri, Frank. Pres ident Truman. 1945. Wk imedia Commons. Web. 7 March 2015. Copyright © 2015. Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. %24