Alliance for Medicare launches coalition to improve Medicare Advantage

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Alliance for Medicare today announced its official launch and introduced its flagship initiative, the Coalition to Improve Medicare Advantage. This new effort is focused on confronting the growing challenges within the Medicare Advantage (MA) program by mobilizing leaders, advocates and communities to drive practical, patient-centered reforms that ensure seniors enrolled in MA receive the reliable, timely care they deserve.

Medicare Advantage has become a cornerstone of the American healthcare system, now serving more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries. Its rapid growth reflects what seniors value most: choice, flexibility and access to plans tailored to their needs. However, as enrollment has increased, too many beneficiaries have experienced barriers to timely, coordinated care, often at the moments when they need it most.

“Medicare is a promise, a commitment that after a lifetime of work, seniors can count on reliable, timely access to care when they need it most,” said Scott Styles, Executive Director of the Alliance for Medicare. “Medicare Advantage is a vital and growing part of that promise. But when seniors face delays, confusion and interruptions to care, that promise is broken. We launched the Alliance for Medicare and CIMA to fix that.”

The Coalition to Improve Medicare Advantage will work to strengthen the program by raising awareness of the challenges facing beneficiaries, educating policymakers on the need for meaningful reforms, convening key stakeholders to advance common-sense solutions and supporting legislative and regulatory efforts that improve the program while preserving its essential role in Medicare. Some of these potential solutions include:

• New transparency rules that give seniors a real sense of what is covered and when;
• Smart reforms to the current prior authorization system;
• And broader access for certain services to ensure patients get the continuum of care they need.

The coalition brings together a broad group of stakeholders from across the healthcare continuum — including patients, caregivers, clinicians and advocacy organizations committed to strengthening the program for seniors. Convened by the Alliance for Medicare, a 501(c)(6) organization, it reflects a shared commitment to ensuring Medicare Advantage works better for the people who rely on it most.