April 29, 2020
The Honorable Senator Robert Casey
393 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.20510
The Honorable Raul Ruiz
1319 Longworth House Office Building,
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator Casey and Representative Ruiz:
On behalf of our millions of members and supporters, I write to strongly support inclusion in a COVID Phase 4 package of the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (S. 1280 and H.R. 2477), which would improve Medicare beneficiary notification of enrollment rules, align enrollment periods, and eliminate coverage gaps for those who miss their initial enrollment period and sign up during the general enrollment period.
Many seniors misunderstand Medicare’s confusing coverage rules and as a result are hit with permanently higher premiums, substantial out-of-pocket health care costs, or needless gaps in coverage. The BENES Act would help prevent these costly mistakes by simplifying Medicare’s enrollment processes and improving beneficiary understanding of enrollment requirements.
We applaud you for your leadership on this issue and support efforts to include your important bill as part of COVID relief or other legislative vehicles to be considered this year.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President/CEO