Letter to Hon. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - Ruiz Fights Rising Medicare Out-of-Pocket Costs for Local Seniors

Letter

Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure:

I am writing to express my deep concern over the $21.60 monthly increase in Medicare Part B
premiums that are scheduled to take effect in 2022. It is critical that Part B remains affordable to
seniors, so I urge you not implement this steep increase in out-of-pocket costs. Without access to
critical coverage of physician services, outpatient hospital services, certain home health services,
and durable medical equipment provided by Part B, seniors will be forced to forgo essential
health needs.

In the 2022 Medicare Part B rate announcement, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services claims that the 5.9 percent Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) that seniors will see in
their Social Security checks next year will "more than cover the increase in the Medicare Part B
monthly premium."1 However, the Medicare Part B premium increase, at 14.5 percent (from
$148.50 in to $170.10), far outpaces the COLA adjustment.

Additionally, that CMS took into account potential Medicare coverage of the newly FDA
approved physician-administered Alzheimer's drug, Aduhelm,™ is highly problematic since
Medicare does not even cover that drug at this time. Therefore, seniors are paying the price for a
$56,000 a year drug2 that they do not even have access to. Moreover, the increase reflects
projected rising costs of Medicare, which is in part the result of the COVID-19 pandemic.3 While
I understand that health care costs are higher because of the pandemic, they should not be paid
for on the backs of our seniors who are on fixed incomes.

To that end, I urge you to reconsider your decision to increase premiums based on these flawed
factors so that seniors don't have to cut corners on things like food or medicine in order to pay
for their health insurance. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Source