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Coalition launched to end two-year Medicare wait
More than 75 health advocacy organizations recently announced a new campaign to support legislation that would end a two-year Medicare waiting period for people with disabilities.
U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston) hosted representatives of the Medicare Rights Center in the U.S. Capitol Building for the launching of the Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare.
“Individuals who are stuck in the 24-month waiting period are already qualified as disabled and it is unbelievable that this vulnerable population is forced to go without health insurance for two years because they cannot afford to pay for COBRA coverage or individual insurance before they qualify for Medicare coverage,” Green said. “I am happy to announce that this new coalition will provide a loud voice for the disabled, and we’ll be doing all we can to make sure Congress can hear it.”
At any one time about 1.5 million people who have disabilities that prevent them from working are caught in a two-year waiting period for Medicare. The waiting period comes on top of an initial wait for the Social Security Administration to determine eligibility for disability insurance (SSDI) plus a five-month waiting period to begin receiving SSDI payments.
About a quarter of disabled people waiting for Medicare have no health insurance at all during the two years, and 40 percent have coverage only part of the time. Lack of coverage can result in worsened health and new medical problems that take their toll on both prospective beneficiaries and the taxpayers who must eventually foot the bill.
Green has introduced the Ending the Medicare Waiting Period Act (H.R. 154), which would phase out the two-year waiting period over 10 years and, for the interim, create a process by which individuals with life-threatening diseases could be entirely exempt from the wait requirement. Green’s bill and its companion in the Senate (S.2102) will be the principal legislative vehicles for the coalition’s agenda.
U.S. Rep. Gene Green (D-Houston) hosted representatives of the Medicare Rights Center in the U.S. Capitol Building for the launching of the Coalition to End the Two-Year Wait for Medicare.
“Individuals who are stuck in the 24-month waiting period are already qualified as disabled and it is unbelievable that this vulnerable population is forced to go without health insurance for two years because they cannot afford to pay for COBRA coverage or individual insurance before they qualify for Medicare coverage,” Green said. “I am happy to announce that this new coalition will provide a loud voice for the disabled, and we’ll be doing all we can to make sure Congress can hear it.”
At any one time about 1.5 million people who have disabilities that prevent them from working are caught in a two-year waiting period for Medicare. The waiting period comes on top of an initial wait for the Social Security Administration to determine eligibility for disability insurance (SSDI) plus a five-month waiting period to begin receiving SSDI payments.
About a quarter of disabled people waiting for Medicare have no health insurance at all during the two years, and 40 percent have coverage only part of the time. Lack of coverage can result in worsened health and new medical problems that take their toll on both prospective beneficiaries and the taxpayers who must eventually foot the bill.
Green has introduced the Ending the Medicare Waiting Period Act (H.R. 154), which would phase out the two-year waiting period over 10 years and, for the interim, create a process by which individuals with life-threatening diseases could be entirely exempt from the wait requirement. Green’s bill and its companion in the Senate (S.2102) will be the principal legislative vehicles for the coalition’s agenda.
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