Bipartisan legislation introduced on Feb. 17 by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) would close a long-standing gap in education for older adults and people with disabilities about Medicare enrollment.
“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, adding that the bill would “ensure individuals have access to the information necessary to make more informed decisions as they approach Medicare eligibility.”
The Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) 2.0 Act, S. 3675, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), would require the federal government to provide advance notice to people approaching Medicare eligibility about basic Medicare enrollment rules, according to the congressional record bill summary.
“Medicare is one of America’s greatest success stories, but we need to make sure people can make the most of the Medicare benefits they have earned,” said Sen. Casey.
In December 2020, Congress passed key provisions of the original BENES Act to update Medicare coverage gaps. However, more needs to be done to reduce the number of people who missed their initial Medicare enrollment window, subjecting them to lifetime late enrollment penalties, according to information provided by Sen. Young’s office, which said S. 3675 would prevent such enrollment penalties and keep more dollars in seniors’ pockets.
S. 3675 is also cosponsored by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tim Scott (R-SC), among others, and has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.