Medicare is an insurance program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Americans who are age 65 and older and for some younger individuals who meet narrow eligibility criteria for Medicare coverage. Nearly 60 million Americans rely on Medicare to meet their health care needs for inpatient hospital care, outpatient services through a provider’s office, medical devices and supplies, and prescription drugs. Medicare has 4 parts: Part A (generally inpatient hospital insurance), Part B (outpatient and provider/physician services), Part C (Medicare Advantage, typically administered through private insurance plans), and Part D (prescription drug coverage).
Advocacy for Vision and Eye Health in Medicare
Prevent Blindness promotes eye health at every stage of life, including for older Americans because vision can help achieve broader policy goals around healthy and independent aging.
- Prevent Blindness applauds legislation to expand Medicare to include vision benefits and encourages Congress to create a path for low vision device coverage
- Prevent Blindness Statement on Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which includes Medicare vision benefits
- Prevent Blindness endorses S. 2020, the Screenings for Eye Evaluation, Monitoring, Observation, Review, and Examination (SEE MORE) Act