Reps Reintroduce Bill to Expand Eligibility for MA Supplemental Benefits
House Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) and Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) have re-introduced legislation that would increase the number of people who are eligible to receive supplemental benefits as part of their Medicare Advantage plans. Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Ph.D., associate director of KFF’s Program on Medicare Policy, explains that the bill is “trying to expand the definition of who can qualify for extra benefits that are not primarily health related.”
The bill comes as the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is considering standardizing a limited number of common supplemental benefits in MA — such as dental, vision and hearing benefits — with the goal of helping seniors better navigate a dizzying array of plan options.