Meredith Freed

Senior Policy Analyst with the Program on Medicare Policy @KFF

All views are my own.

[Tricia Neuman @tricia_neuman]

A relatively new class of drugs, initially approved for type 2 diabetes, is creating a buzz because they are also effective weight loss agents.

Medicare is prohibited from covering drugs prescribed for weight loss. What if that changed? w/ @jcubanski https://t.co/H8Uz1ehlFf

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

As noted in the letter, CMS modestly expanded the types of dental services that are covered under Medicare. For additional details on how the 2023 Physician Fee Schedule Final changed Medicare dental coverage, see our @KFF brief https://t.co/P6KZ1nGKAF
@tricia_neuman @jcubanski

[Lloyd Doggett @RepLloydDoggett]

Seniors and people with disabilities shouldn't struggle to afford the oral care they need to stay healthy.

Today, @RepBarragan and I led over 100 Members in urging the Biden Administration to expand Medicare coverage of medically necessary dental care. https://t.co/DrJubkDhus

[KFF @KFF]

NEW: Just over half of all eligible Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in Medicare Advantage in Jan. 2023, surpassing enrollment in traditional Medicare for the first time (30.2 million vs. 29.6 million, among people w/ both Medicare Part A and Part B). https://t.co/X1t7ZB5CCX

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

For those enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans with some out-of-network coverage of these services, coinsurance was typically required rather than copays and most commonly was 50%, though also varied across plans.

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

In anticipation of mental health awareness month, #KFF has a new analysis examining the scope of mental health and substance use disorder benefits in Medicare Advantage plans, including in-network and out-of-network cost-sharing amounts for these services https://t.co/Dv6NKGJfYl

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

We find that for in-network mental health and substance use disorder services, Medicare Advantage plans usually require cost sharing, typically in the form of copays, which varied across plans and by service in 2022.

[Tricia Neuman @tricia_neuman]

NEW @KFF. Gaps in data make it hard to answer some basic questions about #MedicareAdvantage
@jeanniebin @meredith_freed
https://t.co/HFHqvp321D

[Larry Levitt @larry_levitt]

A federal judge in Texas has struck down major portions of the ACA's requirement that health insurers cover preventive services with no patient cost-sharing, with the ruling applying nationwide.

https://t.co/ww21D42vnG

[Larry Levitt @larry_levitt]

Join me and three top notch experts -- @jeanniebin, @TKornfield, and Rick Kronick -- as we unpack the controversy over Medicare Advantage.

Join the event and ask questions, or reply with things you want to know.

https://t.co/iOueMWe1cB

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

See our #KFF FAQs for more information on how Medicare currently covers mental health and substance use disorder services https://t.co/wZuDIw8V61
@jcubanski @tricia_neuman

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

Like last year's budget, the Biden Admin has proposed changes to mental health coverage in Medicare:
-Apply Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act to Medicare
-Cover 3 behavioral health visits w/o cost sharing
-Eliminate 190-day lifetime limit on psychiatric hospital stays

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

Our updated FAQs describe some of the changes recently adopted by Congress, such as expanding the types of providers Medicare will reimburse for providing mental health services, relaxing certain requirements for telehealth, and clarifying coverage of partial hospitalization

[KFF @KFF]

Updated: Medicare covers a range of services used to treat mental health and substance use disorders, both inpatient and outpatient, and prescription drugs. Our FAQs review Medicare coverage and cost sharing requirements, as well as recent policy changes. https://t.co/j6eXOTcktZ

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

Wondering about the recent changes in Medicare coverage of dental services? Our new @KFF brief provides the answers.

Spoiler alert: these changes modestly expand the types of dental services that are now covered under Medicare.
@tricia_neuman @jcubanski

https://t.co/P6KZ1nGKAF

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

This shift presents tradeoffs for retirees. It may help retirees in that employers may be able to maintain retiree benefits, rather than scale them back or eliminate them. Conversely, it has the potential to restrict retirees' access to providers depending on the plan's network.

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

Here's our latest @KFF brief, which looks at the extent to which employers offering retiree health benefits to Medicare-age retirees are increasingly turning to Medicare Advantage to provide these benefits and why. @tricia_neuman @matthew_t_rae @jeanniebin https://t.co/YFegOkw5kc

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

In 2022, 50% of large firms provide retiree benefits through a Medicare Advantage plan, nearly double the share in 2017 (26%). When asked why they're offering these benefits through an MA plan, the most commonly cited reason among larger firms (1000+ workers) was the lower cost.

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

@ESMichelson Thanks for flagging. We did include CVS, but the data wasn't displaying properly. The figure is now fixed.

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

#KFF is back with its annual look at the Medicare Advantage marketplace. In 2023, the average Medicare beneficiary can choose from 43 Medicare Advantage plans, more than double the average number available in 2018. @jeanniebin @tricia_neuman
https://t.co/m75iBzNzjV

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

The average Medicare beneficiary is able to choose from plans offered by 9 firms in 2023. Further, many firms are offering multiple plan choices in the same county. In 1,136 counties (accounting for 50% of beneficiaries), at least one firm is offering 10 or more plan options.

[Meredith Freed @meredith_freed]

In 27 counties, Medicare beneficiaries can choose from 75 or more plans, including some counties in Ohio and Pennsylvania, where they have a choice of 80 or more plans.