U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) aims to make Medicare enrollment easier and more cost effective for America’s senior citizens and people with disabilities.
Sen. Young on May 18 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of the bipartisan Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) 2.0 Act, S. 1687, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) to require that the federal government provide advance notice to people approaching Medicare eligibility about the program’s basic enrollment rules.
“Currently, seniors who miss the sign-up deadline for Medicare Part B face onerous penalties that persist for the rest of their lives,” Sen. Young said. “The BENES 2.0 Act will ensure individuals have access to the information necessary to make more informed decisions as they approach Medicare eligibility.”
According to a bill summary provided by the senators, Americans who miss the initial Medicare enrollment window may pay lifetime late enrollment penalties, experience lengthy gaps in outpatient health coverage, or face costly and unexpected out-of-pocket healthcare costs.
In 2020, about 776,000 people with Medicare were paying a Part B Late Enrollment Penalty (LEP) and the average LEP amounted to nearly a 27 percent increase in a beneficiary’s monthly premium, the summary says.
“When people sign up for Medicare, they should be supported every step of the way,” said Sen. Casey. “This legislation will help seniors avoid the costly fees associated with missing the deadline to enroll, and hold onto their hard-earned savings.”
Among the nine lawmakers who joined Sen. Young as an original cosponsor of S. 1687 was U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).