More Than 60 Senators Are Clear: Medicare Advantage Should Be Protected

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (TNSPol) -- America's Health Insurance Plans issued the following news release:

The call to keep Medicare Advantage (MA) stable and strong continues, with 63 members of the Senate, led by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Tim Scott (R-SC), sending a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In this bipartisan show of support, a strong majority of Senators urge CMS to protect MA for the more than 28 million American seniors and people with disabilities who choose it.

Senators are committed to MA:

"We are committed to ensuring that our constituents who rely on Medicare Advantage enjoy the same access to affordable benefits in order to get the care they need, particularly as they navigate the persistent challenges of the pandemic. We look forward to partnering with you and working on behalf of the tens of millions of older adults and people with disabilities whose health and economic security are protected under this program."

MA plans are an affordable choice:

"For 2022, 65 percent of MA enrollees are in zero-premium plans and the average monthly Medicare Advantage premiums will reach historically low premiums, even while the availability of supplemental benefits continue to increase."

The MA program helps address social determinants of health and improve health equity:

"...over 95 percent of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have access to meal services, telehealth, transportation, dental, fitness, vision, and hearing benefits. Access to these benefits and care provided under the Medicare Advantage program have helped enrollees stay healthy and safe throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic."

MA delivers high-quality care and value:

"Currently, 90 percent of enrollees are in Medicare Advantage plans rated 4 or more Stars. Additionally, the program supports an increasingly diverse population with varied health and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Last month, more than 340 Members of the House of Representatives signed a companion letter to CMS to strengthen and improve MA.

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February 18, 2022

To: Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20201

Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure:

We write to express bipartisan support for the Medicare Advantage program and the high-quality, affordable care it provides to over 27 million older adults and people with disabilities. We appreciate the Administration's ongoing commitment to preserve and strengthen the program, as demonstrated in the proposed CMS 2023 Medicare Advantage and Part D Advance Notice. As you consider annual updates for plan year 2023, we ask you to ensure that payment or policy changes allow Medicare Advantage plans to continue to provide the patient-centered care that 43 percent of Medicare-eligible Americans rely on every day.

The Medicare Advantage program enables plans to take a holistic approach to care, including by addressing social determinants of health to meet seniors' needs and improving health equity. Enrollees in the program benefit from out-of-pocket cost limits and plan options that can include access to telehealth services, in-home care, nutrition services, and transportation benefits to meet seniors' individual needs. In fact, over 95 percent of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have access to meal services, telehealth, transportation, dental, fitness, vision, and hearing benefits.1 Access to these benefits and care provided under the Medicare Advantage program have helped enrollees stay healthy and safe throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Medicare Advantage also consistently delivers high-quality care and value that provides beneficiaries with more coordinated access to enhanced benefits, innovative clinical care models, and greater financial protections. Currently, 90 percent of enrollees are in Medicare Advantage plans rated 4 or more Stars.2 Additionally, the program supports an increasingly diverse population with varied health and socioeconomic backgrounds. For 2022, 65 percent of MA enrollees are in zero-premium plans and the average monthly Medicare Advantage premiums will reach historically low premiums, even while the availability of supplemental benefits continue to increase.34iii,iv

For plan year 2023, we urge the Administration maintain stability within Medicare Advantage, including advancing flexible in-plan benefit offerings and promoting care coordination. We are committed to ensuring that our constituents who rely on Medicare Advantage enjoy the same access to affordable benefits in order to get the care they need, particularly as they navigate the persistent challenges of the pandemic. We look forward to partnering with you and working on behalf of the tens of millions of older adults and people with disabilities whose health and economic security are protected under this program.

Sincerely,

View co-signers at: https://ahiporg-production.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/22.02.18_Senate-Bipartisan-Medicare-Advantage-Letter.pdf