# What This Bill Does

Right now, if you're on Medicare and need to find a doctor or hospital that accepts your coverage, you have to jump between different websites and insurance company portals. This bill would fix that frustration by requiring the federal government to create one central website where Medicare beneficiaries can search for doctors and hospitals all in one place.

The website would let you search for providers in two different ways. First, you could look up whether a specific doctor or hospital participates in Medicare coverage. Second, you could search by type of provider (like cardiologists or urgent care centers) and see which ones are available to you. The website would cover both people on traditional Medicare and those enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, which are the private insurance options available to Medicare beneficiaries.

# Who This Affects and Why It Matters

This directly impacts the roughly 68 million Americans currently on Medicare, as well as people approaching retirement age who are researching their options. Right now, finding in-network providers is time-consuming and confusing—you might have to call your insurance company, check multiple websites, or ask your doctor directly. For seniors who are less comfortable with technology or have mobility issues, this can be a real barrier to getting care. The bill gives the government one year to build and launch this website, so it's not an immediate change but a concrete step toward making healthcare navigation simpler.

The practical benefit is straightforward: instead of spending an hour on the phone or visiting five different websites, you'd go to one government site and quickly find out which doctors near you accept your Medicare coverage. This could help people make better decisions about their care and potentially reduce delays in getting appointments.

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to maintain a website for Medicare beneficiaries to search for providers participating in MA plans and traditional Medicare.