BMA Statement on The Wall Street Journal Medicare Advantage Coverage
WASHINGTON — Better Medicare Alliance issued the following statement today from Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance, on The Wall Street Journal’s Medicare Advantage coverage:
“Today’s Wall Street Journal article repeats long-debated claims about Medicare Advantage that rely heavily on disputed estimates from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Presenting those estimates as settled fact misrepresents how the program works and risks misleading policymakers and seniors about a program that more than half of Medicare beneficiaries now choose.
“Even the Journal’s own editorial page has raised serious concerns about MedPAC’s methodology and assumptions, noting that the commission’s estimates rely on flawed analysis and ideological bias against private-sector participation in Medicare. That context is notably missing from the Journal’s news coverage.
“MedPAC’s projections rely on assumptions and methodologies that many experts have questioned for years. More recent analyses from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services experts show that the differences in diagnostic coding between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare are far smaller than MedPAC’s estimates suggest.
“Claims that Medicare Advantage ‘overpayments’ significantly increase seniors’ Part B premiums stem directly from those disputed assumptions. When more current data and updated risk-adjustment models are used, the magnitude of those claims falls dramatically.
“Medicare Advantage consistently delivers better value and more comprehensive coverage for seniors. The program provides coordinated care, limits out-of-pocket costs, and offers additional benefits, such as dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drug coverage, that are not available in traditional Medicare.
“It is no surprise that more than half of America’s seniors now choose Medicare Advantage and that satisfaction with the program remains consistently high.
“Policy discussions about Medicare should be grounded in accurate, up-to-date data and should focus on strengthening the coverage more than 35 million seniors depend on — not repeating outdated claims that undermine confidence in and stability of a program that continues to deliver for America’s seniors.”
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Better Medicare Alliance is a community of hundreds of thousands of grassroots beneficiaries and 200+ ally organizations working to improve health care through a strong Medicare Advantage. Learn more at bettermedicarealliance.org.