BMA #AllyVoices Tell the Story of Medicare Advantage

Lisa Hunter and Jonathan Frank

At Better Medicare Alliance, we believe Medicare Advantage (MA) is the future of Medicare. Research continues to show it is helping beneficiaries reduce expenses and lead healthier lives.

While numbers and data are important – and we work to provide and amplify the reports that are consistently affirming the value of MA – this alone does not capture the full story of Medicare Advantage. That’s why we are turning to leaders in the field who know firsthand the real-world impact of MA: our Ally organizations.

Better Medicare Alliance is strengthened by the expertise and experience of our more than 140 diverse Allies. They are organizations that represent plans, providers, health systems, professional associations, community-based groups, business associations, and advocacy organizations – each with a unique Medicare Advantage story to tell.

This month, Better Medicare Alliance launched our #AllyVoices video series to spotlight the work that our Allies are doing to improve health care for beneficiaries and provide a platform for them to discuss why Medicare Advantage is so critical to their mission.

For example, we heard from Meals on Wheels America, a nonprofit organization leading the fight against hunger and isolation among older Americans by delivering some 220 million meals to 2.4 million seniors each year, as well as AMGA, an association of medical groups representing more than 175,000 physicians committed to leading transformation in health care. Both messages highlight their respective organizations’ commitment to innovation in health care delivery in order to to meet the needs of their clients and patients in new ways through the framework of MA.

In another video, Dr. Elena Rios from the National Hispanic Medical Association explains Medicare Advantage’s popularity with the Latinx community, calling it “a coordinated effort that includes not just medical care but benefits like vision care, dental care, [and] medications.”

Mary R. Grealy of the Healthcare Leadership Council praises Medicare Advantage’s structure of “private plans competing with each other to deliver high-quality benefits and services at an efficient cost and giving Medicare beneficiaries many more choices than they have under the Traditional Fee-for-Service program.”

And in a soon-to-be released video message, Dr. Griffin Myers of Oak Street Health explains how Medicare Advantage is “crucial” to his organization’s value-based care model, adding that “we believe in what Medicare Advantage does to improve quality, outcomes, and costs for patients across the country and improve access as well as equity to those services.”

Collectively, in these short videos, these Allies paint a picture of the success of MA rooted in personal and professional experiences that reflect what is happening in doctors’ offices, community centers, and homes across the country. We want these stories to be heard by policymakers who create the rules and laws that enable Medicare Advantage to build this new future for Medicare beneficiaries.

With new Ally testimonials added every two weeks, we invite you to join the conversation by following along on our website and Tweeting out your favorite video messages – or a message of your own – using the hashtag #AllyVoices.  To learn more about this initiative, get in touch with us here.

And, in case you missed our announcement, be sure to check out the latest BMA resource that is giving beneficiaries another means to lend their voices to this story-telling: BMA’s interactive “Your State, Your Stories” map, complete with testimonials by Medicare Advantage beneficiaries from every state in the nation.

Also, look for the recent series of opinion pieces written by BMA’s President & CEO, Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz published in Health Affairs (Part 1, Part 2) articulating how Medicare Advantage is modernizing Medicare for millions of seniors and people with disabilities.

Together with our allies and beneficiary advocates, Better Medicare Alliance is committed to communicating the value of Medicare Advantage and the positive difference it makes in the lives of the 24.4 million Americans who actively choose MA to better ensure their health care futures.