Millions of poor retirees lose an easier path to help with Medicare

Millions of low-income seniors are missing out on crucial help paying for Medicare — and the recently enacted federal budget law blocks an effort to help them get it.

The Trump administration budget law passed in July does not reduce any of Medicare’s standard benefits. But the law does suspend until 2034 a requirement that states adopt a Biden-era plan to increase enrollment in state-run Medicaid programs that help seniors who qualify get a hand paying for out-of-pocket Medicare costs.

That plan would have widened enrollment in Medicare Savings Programs by reducing the paperwork needed to sign up — a change that was opposed by some Republicans, who have said they want to reduce waste and potential fraud when cutting funding for programs like Medicaid.

The programs cover the cost of pre