The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched an updated Medicare website that aims to be more user-friendly.
CMS has been updating its Medicare website, Medicare.gov, since 2021 to make it easier to use, most recently redesigning the home page. The latest changes also include more detailed pricing information about Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) Policies to provide more information for those comparison shopping of plans.
The updates were based on consumer feedback, and the website now features prominent, timely initiatives and messages on the homepage. It also highlights the most commonly searched information and key tasks sought by people with Medicare, people nearing Medicare eligibility and their families.
The changes come as CMS and other U.S. healthcare agencies have made efforts to modernize the country's healthcare system. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched several initiatives over the years to bring all health records online and improve digital access for patients to their own records, including mandating these records be free to access.
“CMS is making Medicare.gov easier to use and more helpful for people seeking to understand their Medicare coverage, which is an essential part of staying healthy,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. “We are committed to listening to the people we serve as we design and deliver new, personalized online resources and expanded customer support options for people with Medicare coverage and those who support them.”
In the past year, CMS has also updated its language to simplify answers to complicated and technical common questions about Medicare and added a step-by-step guidance to help people sign up for Medicare for the first time and understand their option, including a redesign of the “Get started with Medicare” section.
CMS plans to streamline the Medicare Plan Finder landing page and the Medicare Account landing page in the coming months.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."