Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education
Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education
The Advisory Panel on Medicare Education (APME) was originally chartered on January 21, 1999 to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administrator of CMS on opportunities to enhance the federal government's effectiveness in implementing a national Medicare education program. With the Charter renewal on January 21, 2011, the panel has been renamed "The Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education (APOE)" and the scope of the panel has been amended.
The Panel shall advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) concerning optimal strategies on the following issues:
- Developing and implementing education and outreach programs for individuals enrolled in, or eligible for, Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or health coverage available through the Health Insurance Marketplace and other CMS programs;
- Enhancing the federal government's effectiveness in informing Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, or the Health Insurance Marketplace consumers, issuers, providers, stakeholders and partners pursuant to education and outreach programs of issues regarding these programs, including the appropriate use of public-private partnerships to leverage the resources of the private sector in educating beneficiaries, providers and stakeholders;
- Expanding outreach to vulnerable and underserved communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, in the context of Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and Health Insurance Marketplace education programs and other CMS programs as designated;
- Assembling and sharing an information base of best practices for helping consumers evaluate health coverage options;
- Building and leveraging existing community infrastructures for information, counseling and assistance; and
- Drawing the program link between outreach and education, promoting consumer understanding of health care coverage choices and facilitating consumer selection/enrollment, which in turn support the overarching goal of improved access to quality care, including prevention services, envisioned under the Affordable Care Act.
The Administrator of CMS appoints APOE members for two-year terms. Members must have expertise in one or more of the following areas: senior citizen advocacy, outreach to minority communities, health communications, disease-related advocacy, disability policy and access, health economics research, health insurers and plans, health IT, direct patient care, and/or matters of labor and retirement.
The Charter for the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education was renewed on January 19, 2023. This charter will expire on January 19, 2025. The APOE meets approximately four times per year usually in Washington, D.C. or virtually. Each meeting includes an opportunity for public comment.
For more information about APOE, please email APOE@cms.hhs.gov.
APOE Panel Members (as of April 2024) (PDF)
2024 Meeting Materials
2023 Meeting Materials
2022 Meeting Materials
2021 Meeting Materials
2020 Meeting Materials
2019 Meeting Materials
Page Last Modified:
09/10/2024 06:21 PM