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Senior advocates press committee to expand Medicare Savings Program, raise MassHealth asset limits and stop improper QMB billing
Summary
Mass Senior Action and others urged the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing to expand Medicare Savings Program eligibility, raise MassHealth asset limits for seniors, and create state enforcement against improper billing of Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) recipients.
Mass Senior Action members and beneficiaries told the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing that recent expansions of the Medicare Savings Program (MSP) improved seniors' financial security but that remaining gaps—MassHealth—s low asset limits and improper billing of QMB beneficiaries—continue to harm low-income older adults.
Why it matters: Witnesses said MSP expansion reduced out-of-pocket costs for many beneficiaries, but MassHealth asset limits for long-term care (cited as $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples) were last updated in 1989 and force some seniors to "spend down" savings or sign away life insurance to…
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