[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6451]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          THE MEDICARE BENEFICIARY ENROLLMENT IMPROVEMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM McDERMOTT

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 2016

  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Medicare 
Beneficiary Enrollment Improvement Act. This bill provides newly-
eligible Medicare beneficiaries with clearer, easier-to-understand 
information in their Welcome to Medicare package. This will help 
beneficiaries make better informed decisions regarding their options 
for receiving benefits through the Medicare program.
  The decisions that newly-eligible beneficiaries make have 
consequences that can last a lifetime. For example, individuals who opt 
out of Part B coverage during their initial enrollment period must pay 
a lifetime premium penalty of 10 percent for each 12-month period in 
which they were not enrolled. By reforming the Welcome to Medicare 
package, this bill makes a small but important improvement that will 
provide beneficiaries with the information they need to fully 
understand their options.

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