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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will make sure that a COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to seniors at no cost once a vaccine is approved, CMS Administrator Seema Verma said during today's HLTH 2020 virtual conference. And while it is important that seniors – who are in a high-risk category for COVID-19 – don't have any barriers to getting the vaccine, CMS is working to guarantee a free vaccine for Medicaid and private insurance members as well, Verma said. (Hackett, 10/13)

CMS on Oct. 14 added 11 new services to the list of telehealth services that Medicare will reimburse during the COVID-19 pubic health emergency. The Trump administration announced March 17 that CMS will temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries during the pandemic. Since the public health emergency began, CMS has added more than 135 services to the Medicare telehealth services list, including emergency department visits and initial inpatient visits. Medicare will begin paying eligible practitioners who provide these newly added telehealth services effective immediately and through the duration of the public health emergency. Here are the 11 additional services and their respective codes. (Drees, 10/14)

CMS' long-standing Hospital Readmission Reduction Program incorrectly penalizes hospitals or overlooks hospitals that should receive a penalty, according to a new study. The findings, published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology, are the latest to uncover flaws in the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program, which has been heavily criticized by hospitals and quality researchers since its inception in 2012 under the Affordable Care Act. (Castellucci, 10/14)

The number of Americans on Medicaid continues to rise as people lose their insurance during the economic downturn, but policy experts disagree on how much additional funding states facing higher costs may need. National enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program jumped by 4 million between February and June, an increase of almost 6 percent, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data released recently. (Raman, 10/15)

More than 4.6 million Florida residents receive health coverage through Medicare, and the time to review their benefits is here. The process will look a bit different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment often happens face-to-face, at crowded events and inside offices where beneficiaries can ask questions and get help. This year, though, those interactions are mostly happening online and over the phone. Insurance companies have trained staffers on new processes and say they’re geared up for the start of open enrollment on Thursday, Oct. 15. (Reeves, 10/14)

Part A, Part B, Part D, and what’s this about Plan F, G and N? Navigating Medicare is like alphabet soup with a side of number crunch. Over a two-month period at the end of every year, people over 65 and those with long-term disabilities are left are trying to figure out what kind of health coverage they need in the coming year. Here’s your Houston How To primer on Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for the 2020 open enrollment period. (Don’t worry, there’s a glossary for health insurance terms in the collapsed fact box.) (Wu, 10/15)

The coronavirus pandemic has raised the stakes, making decisions about health care more important than at any time in the last century. For more than 62 million Americans age 65 and over, the Medicare program is central to that process. About 4.6 million of them are Floridians. Every year at this time, during Medicare’s open enrollment period, the Tampa Bay Times sets out to help readers better understand the program and use it to the fullest. Our guide explains how Medicare works, helps beneficiaries compare coverage options available in the Tampa Bay area and points the way toward help. (Tobin, 10/15)

CMS released its report card for Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans Oct. 8. Medicare ranks Medicare Advantage and Part D plans on a quality scale of one to five stars, with five representing excellent performance and one reflecting poor performance. To assign stars, Medicare analyzes how health plans performed on 44 measures for Medicare Advantage and Part D plans; 32 measures for only Medicare Advantage plans; and 14 measures for standalone Part D prescription drug plans. Here are the 28 plans receiving a five-star rating. (Haefner, 10/13)

The flu season is coming. We don’t know exactly when it will arrive or how long it will last but it’s on its way. In the United States, flu season generally begins in October, peaks between December and February, and extends into May. Every year, the arrival of the flu presents a risk for seniors. People 65 years and older account for 70 to 85% of flu-related deaths and 50 to 70% of flu-related hospitalizations each flu season. However, this year the risk is considerably greater because of the pandemic. Eight of 10 COVID-19 related deaths have been among those 65 and older. Getting the flu or COVID is serious but getting both can be deadly.  (Omdahl, 10/13)