Bipartisan Majority of Senators Urge Support for Medicare Advantage

WASHINGTON – Better Medicare Alliance, the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, today applauded the bipartisan Senate support for Medicare Advantage as demonstrated in a letter signed by 61 senators from both parties to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The letter, led by U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), called for the protection of Medicare Advantage for the nearly 30 million older adults and individuals with disabilities enrolled in the program.

Amid the release of the administration’s proposed updates to the program for plan year 2024, the senators urge CMS to “ensure that any proposed payment and policy changes enable Medicare Advantage to continue providing the affordable, high-quality care our constituents rely on every day.”

The senators highlighted Medicare Advantage’s affordability and better health outcomes that support a diverse population of seniors and individuals with disabilities who come from different health and socioeconomic backgrounds. The senators prioritized their commitment to “maintaining access to the affordable, high-quality care” their constituents currently receive through Medicare Advantage.

“In an extraordinary display of bipartisan support, 61 senators are looking out for their constituents by supporting the Medicare Advantage coverage that seniors rely on and actively choose,” said Mary Beth Donahue, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Better Medicare Alliance. “BMA applauds these senators’ steadfast support for the nearly 30 million seniors and individuals with disabilities nationwide who have chosen to enroll in Medicare Advantage. We’re especially grateful for the leadership of Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Tim Scott, Gary Peters and Shelley Moore Capito for leading the charge in protecting Medicare Advantage’s affordable, high-quality care for current and future beneficiaries as more Americans continue to choose Medicare Advantage, which today accounts for nearly half the total Medicare beneficiary population.”

“On behalf of more than 50,000 Hispanic physicians in the United States, we are extremely grateful to these 61 senators who are standing up for our seniors,” said Dr. Elena Rios, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association and an Ally of the Better Medicare Alliance. “We applaud Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Tim Scott, Gary Peters and Shelley Moore Capito for their leadership in protecting Medicare Advantage for those who rely on the high-quality, low-cost care, especially among Hispanic seniors across the country. This kind of quality care should be the standard, and we echo these senators’ call to preserve the crucial health benefits of Medicare Advantage.”

“Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen have shown their commitment to Medicare Advantage and Nevada seniors’ access to quality healthcare, especially those in underprivileged communities, by signing this year’s Medicare Advantage support letter,” said for Diego Trujillo, executive director of Las Vegas HEALS and an Ally of the Better Medicare Alliance. “Medicare Advantage’s proven better health outcomes and substantial cost savings means better quality of life for Nevada’s seniors and individuals with disabilities regardless of health or socioeconomic background.”

Read the lawmakers’ letter to CMS here. Signers are included below:

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto
Sen. Tim Scott
Sen. Gary Peters
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito
Sen. John Barrasso
Sen. Michael Bennet
Sen. Marsha Blackburn
Sen. John Boozman
Sen. Mike Braun
Sen. Katie Britt
Sen. Ted Budd
Sen. Bill Cassidy
Sen. Tom Carper
Sen. Bob Casey
Sen. Susan Collins
Sen. John Cornyn
Sen. Tom Cotton
Sen. Kevin Cramer
Sen. Ted Cruz
Sen. Steve Daines
Sen. Joni Ernst
Sen. John Fetterman
Sen. Deb Fischer
Sen. Lindsey Graham
Sen. Bill Hagerty
Sen. Maggie Hassan
Sen. Josh Hawley
Sen. Martin Heinrich
Sen. John Hickenlooper
Sen. Mark Kelly
Sen. John Kennedy
Sen. John Hoeven
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith
Sen. Ron Johnson
Sen. Angus King
Sen. Amy Klobuchar
Sen. James Lankford
Sen. Cynthia Lummis
Sen. Joe Manchin
Sen. Markwayne Mullin
Sen. Roger Marshall
Sen. Alex Padilla
Sen. Rand Paul
Sen. Pete Ricketts
Sen. Mitt Romney
Sen. Jacky Rosen
Sen. Eric Schmitt
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Sen. Jim Risch
Sen. Marco Rubio
Sen. Rick Scott
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema
Sen. Dan Sullivan
Sen. Jon Tester
Sen. John Thune
Sen. Thom Tillis
Sen. Tommy Tuberville
Sen. J.D. Vance
Sen. Mark Warner
Sen. Roger Wicker
Sen. Todd Young