Recertification in New York State: The Revolving Door of the Medicare Savings Program

This NYHealth-funded report by the Medicare Rights Center looks at the process for determining continued eligibility for Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs) in New York State.

Medicare Rights Center worked with the New York Medicare Savings Coalition and others to assess the State’s MSP recertification processes and develop reform recommendations.

The report calls for New York to replace the current system of paper-based recertification for MSPs with a passive renewal process, in which the state would utilize income data it already has to automatically recertify consumers whose income is unlikely to change from year to year. To ensure program integrity, resources could be devoted to follow-up only with consumers who are likely to have a change in circumstances. Such a process would help to ensure seamless health coverage for New Yorkers and reduce administrative costs for New York State.