September 10, 2019
The Honorable Lloyd Doggett
2307 Rayburn House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative Doggett:
On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I am writing to endorse H.R. 1394, the “Medigap Consumer Protection Act.”
Your proposed legislation would improve access to Medigap for seniors and disabled individuals in the traditional Medicare program who rely on supplemental Medigap insurance coverage to pay for Medicare’s high out-of-pocket costs.
Your bill is comprehensive and includes many provisions that improve beneficiary access to Medigap insurance, such as:
- Restoring availability of first-dollar Medigap plans eliminated by the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015.”
- Extending guaranteed issue protections for Medigap to Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities and end stage renal disease as well as those enrolled in Medicare Advantage for more than 12 months who wish to switch back to the traditional Medicare program.
- Requiring issuers to disclose payments made to Medigap brokers and agents and making these payments publicly available
Medicare beneficiaries pay high out-of-pocket costs for premiums, deductibles and coinsurance and uncovered services like vision, dental and hearing. Medigap insurance provides significant financial protection to individuals in traditional Medicare who do not have employer-sponsored supplemental insurance. We strongly applaud your leadership on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President and CEO