Sen. Hassan, Colleagues Call on Administration to Protect Seniors From Health Coverage Gaps

WASHINGTON, April 21 -- Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire, issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan joined her colleagues in calling on the administration to ensure that seniors currently enrolled in Medicaid don't lose their health insurance. The Senators are calling on the administration to ensure that seniors have a direct path to Medicare coverage after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.

When the COVID- public health emergency was announced, Congress passed into law legislation to expand Medicaid coverage for more children, working adults, and older Americans to ensure that they had access to health insurance. However, once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, that expanded Medicaid coverage will end and states will begin removing ineligible individuals from the program, including older Americans who qualified for Medicare during the pandemic but have not enrolled in Medicare yet because they are still receiving health coverage through Medicaid. The Senators' letter calls on Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) Administrator Brooks-LaSure to establish a special enrollment period for these beneficiaries to sign up for Medicare coverage, and waive any related late-enrollment fees these seniors may face for failing to get covered earlier.

"We urge you to provide a smooth transition to Medicare coverage for these seniors through a special enrollment period, and to exempt them from any financial penalties that would otherwise be assessed for late enrollment," the Senators continued. "CMS and stakeholder partners should conduct extensive outreach to raise awareness among seniors of this coverage change, and ensure they have the tools and information necessary to choose the Medicare coverage option that works best for them."

Senator Hassan is working to lower health care costs for all Americans, and led successful, bipartisan efforts (https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-hassan-cassidy-secure-end-to-surprise-medical-billing-legislation-in-government-funding-package) with Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to help end the practice of surprise medical billing, which is now in effect. Senators Hassan and Cassidy also successfully passed into law (https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/president-signs-into-law-bipartisan-legislation-introduced-by-senators-hassan-and-cassidy-to-help-lower-health-care-costs-by-improving-education-about-drug-products) their bipartisan legislation to enhance education about biosimilar drug products in an effort to increase competition and lower drug costs. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan, which Senator Hassan helped pass into law, is helping to lower health care costs for many Granite Staters who purchase health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.

* * *

April 13, 2022

To: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201

Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure:

Thank you for your work to keep seniors safe and healthy over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. We appreciate the important services and supports that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has administered to help older Americans utilize telehealth, access COVID-19 testing, vaccines and treatment free of charge, and maintain comprehensive coverage. However, as the threat of the virus begins to subside and the Biden Administration considers terminating the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), we are concerned that the Medicare beneficiaries may experience avoidable gaps in coverage.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress acted quickly to shore up federal health programs and protect access to affordable coverage for American families. In particular, the enhanced Medicaid funding and corresponding continuous eligibility provisions of the bipartisan Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ensured that children, working adults and seniors alike could retain their health insurance coverage through the ensuing period of extreme economic uncertainty and volatility.

Both the funding and coverage provisions of the FFCRA will expire upon termination of the PHE, at which point states will begin to remove ineligible individuals from their Medicaid programs. Included among these people are seniors who may have remained on Medicaid despite becoming eligible for Medicare over the course of the pandemic. This unprecedented transition could result in coverage losses for millions of Americans.

Because CMS has never before faced a similar situation at this scale, we are concerned that current beneficiary enrollment processes do not provide adequate coverage options for this type of transition. Medicare-eligible individuals who lose Medicaid coverage outside of Medicare's open enrollment period may be unable to elect Part B coverage. This will leave them without access to comprehensive care, and they may face fines for failing to get covered earlier.

We urge you to provide a smooth transition to Medicare coverage for these seniors through a special enrollment period, and to exempt them from any financial penalties that would otherwise be assessed for late enrollment. CMS and stakeholder partners should conduct extensive outreach to raise awareness among seniors of this coverage change, and ensure they have the tools and information necessary to choose the Medicare coverage option that works best for them.

COVID-19 has been especially difficult for older Americans, and we must do everything possible to support their needs as we emerge from the pandemic. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to working together on our shared goal of protecting access to quality health care for seniors.

Sincerely,

Catherine Cortez, United States Senator

Masto Sherrod Brown, United States Senator

Robert P. Casey Jr., United States Senator

Margaret Wood Hassan, United States Senator

Sheldon Whitehouse, United States Senator

Debbie Stabenow, United States Senator