Medicare: Callers Can Access 1-800-MEDICARE Services, But Responsibility Within CMS for Limited English Proficiency Plan Remains Unclear

Kathleen M. King

Jun 2009 · DIANE Publishing

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for providing beneficiaries timely and accurate information about Medicare. Receiving nearly 30 million calls in 2007, 1-800-MEDICARE, operated by a contractor, is the most common way members of the public get program information. The help line provides services both to English-speaking and limited English proficiency (LEP) callers. This report describes: (1) the extent to which access performance standards and targets have been met by the current contractor; (2) the efforts by CMS to provide LEP callers access to help line services and wait times experienced by these callers; and (3) CMS's oversight of callers' access to 1-800-MEDICARE and the information's accuracy. Illus.