To combat a reported $60 billion lost to waste, fraud and abuse within the Medicare system, a bi-partisan group of U.S. senators and representatives led by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Ron Widen (D-OR) have introduced legislation to use existing “smart card” technology to protect Medicare beneficiaries. The Smart Card Alliance strongly supports the new Medicare Common Access Card Act of 2011 (S. 1551 and H.R. 2925).

Today’s USA Today newspaper has a prominent article on the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program and the contribution of volunteers nationwide. Since 1997, over 68,000 SMP volunteers have educated 9.2 million people about Medicare fraud, received 87,000 complaints from beneficiaries, and saved Medicare and Medicaid $105.9 million.

Our California SMP program is also highlighted.

The California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) has put together a series of 6 short, under 5-minute videos on what changes to expect from the Affordable Care Act in the next 2 years.

Some highlights of the changes happening by 2014 include:

• Government-funded health insurance (Medi-Cal) will expand to cover 2 to 3 million more Californians who can’t afford their own insurance today.
• No one will be able to be denied coverage by an insurance company for having preexisting conditions, or for any other reason.
• All Americans will be required to have health coverage, either through their work, through a public program, or by buying it on their own.
• Businesses will have to offer adequate coverage to their employees or pay a penalty if those workers end up using government-supported coverage. Small employers with mostly low-wage workers will be eligible for subsidies.
• State health insurance exchanges will help consumers shop for policies. Exchanges will help people learn if they are eligible for government-supported health care (like Medi-Cal) or subsidies to help pay for private coverage.

Watch the 6 short videos on the CHCFwebsite. The videos include:

1. An Overview
2. Insurance Market Reforms
3. Medicaid Expansion
4. New Employer Responsibilities
5. New Individual Responsibilities
6. Health Insurance Exchange

See our Health Care Reform section for information on how health reform affects Medicare.