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We are very happy to have you with us today, Ms. Block, and we would certainly be pleased to receive your testimony. STATEMENT OF ABBY L. BLOCK, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR BENEFICIARY CHOICES, CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND ALSO MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS), BALTIMORE, MD Ms. Block. Thanks for welcoming me to go over Medicare Advantage as well as, particularly, advertising and marketing compliance.

Working very closely with Congress, we have refined Medicare Advantage for many years to promote strong plan participation throughout the country. With a vivid industry of strategies for 2007, recipient registration is now at an all-time high. I am proud of these successes and also stand dedicated to deal with you in the days in advance to maintain selection for individuals with Medicare.

Such fringe benefits vary by plan, but can include: lower cost-sharing, improved Part D prescription medicine coverage, Part B and D premium decreases; as well as, accessibility to products as well as services like hearing aids, routine physicals or vision exams that initial Medicare does not cover. No matter of the programs' successes, CMS takes current reports of aggressive advertising and marketing of some products extremely seriously.

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I intend to talk today about a few of the means that CMS is building on lessons found out and also info gathered during 2006. CMS enforcement for advertising and marketing infractions varies from releasing a caution letter or corrective activity plan to suspending registration as well as also, inevitably, terminating a strategy from the program - Medicare agent Huntington NY. This year alone, we have actually fined strategies extra than $400,000 in civil financial fines for stopping working to offer details to recipients in a prompt fashion.

Our experience shows that, from time to time, personal fee-for- service plans have actually not been clear regarding what they provide our recipients and also what they don't provide. Consequently, for 2008, we will require plans to consist of certain, unambiguous language in all marketing products, enrollment products as well as sales discussions laying out what a recipient can expect if she or he signs up for a strategy, and call all new candidates to validate that they do, actually, recognize the features of the plan as well as desire to enlist.

Our utmost problem is to assist and safeguard the recipient. Consequently, recipients as well as enrollees misguide by a plan are offered an opportunity to change to an additional plan. In enhancement, throughout the initial quarter of annually, all enrollees currently have the possibility to change out of personal fee-for-service plans or any various other MA strategy for any kind of reason and choose another option.

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As an example, CMS takes care of offenses of our advertising standards. Problems involving see page scams and misuse go to the paramedics, our program integrity contractors. Allegations of fraudulent advertising as well as enrollment go to the OIG. States deal with issues concerning licensed representatives and brokers. CMS is taking lots of actions to identify companies seeking conformity intervention, including monitoring problems by conducting secret purchasings of sales occasions across the country.

Particularly, CMS works en masse with the National Organization of Insurance Policy Commissioners as well as State departments of insurance coverage to create a model compliance and enforcement Memorandum of Recognizing. Far, 20 States and also Puerto Rico have actually authorized the MOU that will allow us to share information about non-compliant advertising tasks. CMS prepares to provide soon a proposed regulation that will certainly assist in oversight for Medicare Benefit strategies and Part D prescription drug strategies.

These are just the first actions we are requiring to make sure that Medicare beneficiaries are not being disinformed, misled or defrauded. We are holding strategies responsible for the activities of both employed as well as independent agents offering their products. This consists of requiring recorded training of marketing agents as well as brokers. I want to assure you that the large majority of senior citizens who bought Medicare Advantage items are satisfied with their plans and also the services they are obtaining.

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Thank you again for the possibility to talk with you today. I anticipate answering your inquiries. The Chairman. Thanks, Ms. Block. Before we obtain to concerns for you, we want to speak with our Position Member, Senator Smith, as well as Legislator Whitehouse. Senator Smith. Thank you, Senator Kohl, for calling this essential hearing on an extremely essential issue.

We thank you for your indulgence as well as your time (Medicare agent Huntington NY). I want to make a difference, which I hope folks who are interested will their website certainly understand.

These things have to be directed out. All stakeholders that would love to see this program continue demand to comprehend that, if left unattended, this will weaken confidence in the program. Having stated that, I wish to make clear my idea that Medicare Benefit as well as Medicare Component D are not negative merely because they are private distribution systems.

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They can function much better. To all who have an interest in the continued success of these programs, it comes to each of us individually to do all that we can to repair the issues and also to repair them quickly. What I did when I was Chairman as well as now, as Ranking Member-- as well as I directory share the Chairman's problem-- what I began to do in the 109th Congress is to supply oversight.

It needs to change. So we will proceed that oversight with the sight, at the very least, from my sight, to preserving and strengthening these programs that do so a lot good, assist many individuals, specifically, in rural places. So any kind of business with an interest in either prescription drugs or Medicare Benefit: Obtain on top of this and also hop on top of it quickly.

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