Seniors Shouldn’t Have to Brace for Disruption Every October
As Medicare Open Enrollment Begins, Better Medicare Alliance Calls on Policymakers to Deliver Lasting Stability for Medicare Advantage
Lower 2027 premiums show what stable funding can do. Rising out-of-pocket costs, fewer plan choices, and disappearing rural options show the job isn’t finished.
WASHINGTON — As the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period opens today, Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) called on Congress and the administration to build on this year’s premium relief with a lasting commitment to stable, predictable Medicare Advantage funding and policy. More than 35 million seniors and people with disabilities, over half of all Medicare beneficiaries, now rely on Medicare Advantage, and many are heading into this enrollment season facing another year of benefit cuts, plan exits and disruption.
The 2027 numbers make the case for stability. CMS projects average Medicare Advantage premiums will fall 16.5% to $12 a month, but the effects of earlier underfunding and policy changes persist. The median out-of-pocket maximum is up 32% since 2024, to $6,600, according to an Avalere analysis. Meanwhile, a record number of beneficiaries, estimated at 3.8 million to more than 5 million, will be forced to find new plans this year, up from nearly 3 million last year.
“This year’s lower premiums are proof that when Medicare Advantage is adequately funded, seniors see the difference directly,” said Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance. “But one good data point doesn’t undo years of instability. Seniors are still paying more out of pocket and losing choices, especially in rural America. Washington has a clear opportunity to give beneficiaries the certainty they deserve, and we urge policymakers to seize it. Protecting seniors’ affordable healthcare should be a priority.”
Medicare Advantage continues to deliver on quality. Under CMS’s newly released 2027 star ratings, more beneficiaries will be enrolled in high-quality plans next year, the result of years of steady work by plans and providers to improve care.
Meanwhile, Medicare Advantage remains the more affordable option for seniors, with beneficiaries spending $2,824 less on average than those in traditional Fee-For-Service Medicare — a 36% difference.
Protecting that progress requires a stable foundation, with consistent funding, targeted policymaking, and clear standards set well in advance. BMA’s 10-point policy roadmap lays out that path. BMA and its coalition partners are now taking that roadmap to congressional offices and the administration as lawmakers set year-end healthcare priorities.
“Seniors shouldn’t have to brace for disruption every October,” said Rebecca Buck, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Better Medicare Alliance. “The coverage they choose this fall should still be there for them next year and the year after. That takes a long-term commitment from policymakers, not a one-year reprieve.”
Beneficiaries are making sure policymakers hear them. BMA’s “I’m an MA Voter” campaign features seniors explaining why affordable, dependable Medicare Advantage coverage will drive their vote this November. Ads are reaching lawmakers, candidates, and staff, with additional beneficiary stories featured on BetterMedicareAlliance.org/MedicareAdvantageVoter.
Through Dec. 7, BMA’s coalition of more than 250 organizations will mobilize to share how plan changes and rising costs are affecting beneficiaries, and to urge Congress and the administration to protect Medicare Advantage.
BMA also encourages beneficiaries to review their Annual Notice of Change and compare total costs, networks and drug coverage before Dec. 7 at Medicare.gov/plan-compare.
###
Better Medicare Alliance is a community of hundreds of thousands of grassroots beneficiaries and more than 250 ally organizations working to improve healthcare through a strong Medicare Advantage program. Learn more at www.bettermedicarealliance.org