Sponsors (27)
Requires CMS and SSA to jointly review and simplify eligibility, forms, procedures, and communications across Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Social Security to reduce burdens on family caregivers.
Official title: Require the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Commissioner of Social Security to review and simplify the processes, procedures, forms, and communications for family caregivers to assist individuals in establishing eligibility for, enrolling in, and maintaining and utilizing coverage and benefits under the Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Social Security programs respectively, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 1, 2025 by Edward John Markey · Last progress April 1, 2025
The bill directs agencies to reduce caregiver paperwork and improve access and decision-making, but without new funding or enforcement, its benefits depend on agency and state follow-through and may be slow or limited.
Family caregivers (parents, families, people with disabilities) will spend less time re-submitting the same information because agencies are required to reduce duplicate requests and paperwork.
Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers may receive faster and more accurate program decisions and appeals outcomes because staff must be trained on caregiver-related uses and appeals handling.
Family caregivers (parents, families, people with disabilities) will have improved access to assistance through better outreach, more usable websites, translation and ASL-compatible formats, and shorter call wait times.
Because the measure creates no new funding or enforcement authority and relies on agency and state implementation, recommended changes may be slow, partial, or never fully adopted—limiting short-term benefits for caregivers and beneficiaries.
Publishing reports and soliciting input could raise caregivers' expectations without guarantees of reduced burden, potentially causing frustration if tangible outcomes are limited.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the heads of CMS and the Social Security Administration to jointly review and simplify eligibility, application, form, and communications processes used by Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Social Security programs to reduce burdens on family caregivers. The review targets duplicative documentation, confusing forms, long call wait times, limited language access, and other barriers so caregivers can determine eligibility, enroll, maintain coverage, and use benefits more easily. Directs covered officials to take actions—such as improving outreach and websites, providing translation/accessible formats (including ASL), expanding in-person help, training staff, and engaging stakeholders—focused on family caregivers’ interactions with the named programs. The law makes no new funding commitments, does not change underlying program statutes, and only requires the agencies to review and act to simplify administrative processes and communications.