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Medicare Advantage beneficiaries can't access the care they need as they get sicker, a new report from federal watchdogs suggests. People enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans are switching to Medicare fee-for-service at an alarming rate during their last year of life, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published Wednesday. Medicare Advantage customers in their last year of life were more than twice as likely to drop their policies and enroll in Medicare fee-for-service than other Medicare Advantage enrollees. (Brady, 7/29)

New legislation aims to eliminate the cost-sharing requirement for Medicare beneficiaries to get chronic care management services and reimburse providers for 100% of the payment. The legislation, reintroduced Thursday, intends to boost access among seniors to chronic care management services that include creating a care plan and medication reconciliation and adherence. “Chronic health conditions account for 90% of our nation’s healthcare spending and this is a meaningful way to lower costs and improve health outcomes,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Washington, a lead sponsor of the Seniors’ Chronic Care Management Improvement Act. “It’s unfortunate so few seniors access this benefit and I believe dropping the cost-sharing requirements will change that.” (King, 7/29)

Access to Medicaid may help address racial disparities in insurance coverage, access and self-reported outcomes, according to a new study. The research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, tracked more than 2.4 million Americans and found that immediately after turning 65, and thus becoming eligible for Medicare, coverage for Black respondents increased from 86.3% to 95.8%.Among Hispanic respondents, coverage increased from 77.4% to 91.3%. (Minemyer, 7/29)

The latest Medicare payment rules for inpatient rehabilitation, inpatient psychiatric, hospices and skilled nursing facilities are out, and there's good news for those healthcare providers. Under a final rule CMS published Thursday, inpatient rehab facilities will get a 1.9% pay bump in 2022, raising their reimbursements by $130 million. Inpatient psychiatric facilities will get a 2% hike, an increase of $80 million. Hospices also will get paid 2% more, which amounts to an additional $480 million. Skilled nursing facilities will get a rate increase just over 1%, or $410 million. (Brady, 7/29)

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, dedicating it to former President Harry Truman, who "planted the seeds of compassion." (7/30)

Health insurance companies are pushing back against President Joe Biden's plan to lengthen the annual open enrollment period on the exchanges, according to comments the trade group AHIP made on a proposed regulation. CMS published a draft rule last month that would give consumers 30 extra days to sign up and establish monthly special enrollment periods for low-income people to enroll in subsidized low-cost or no-cost health plans. Comments on the regulation closed Wednesday. (Brady, 7/29)