BMA President and CEO Mary Beth Donahue on What Makes Advocacy Effective
The mission of Better Medicare Alliance is to advocate for a strong Medicare Advantage on behalf of more than 35 million seniors and people with disabilities who rely on the program. For these beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage means access to better care at a lower cost than traditional fee-for-service Medicare.
But a strong Medicare Advantage depends on consistent engagement as policy is being made. Better Medicare Alliance President and CEO Mary Beth Donahue recently joined hosts David Castagnetti and Brody Mullins on the podcast “Inside Influence: The Evolution of Corporate Affairs,” to talk about what makes BMA’s advocacy effective. Her answer: authenticity, backed by data.
Beneficiaries are the most powerful messengers
The seniors who depend on Medicare Advantage are its most credible voices, because they can speak to what the program means in their daily lives. BMA’s job is to help seniors tell their own stories, whether through video testimonials, letters to Congress, or in-person meetings. And that takes time and trust, not volume.
“If you follow and see any of our digital ads, they’re very authentic. It’s the senior in their home, in their words, talking about whatever illness they may be challenged with and how it’s been made better because of this program,” Donahue said. “But it does take a lot of time to have seniors get to that comfortable space. It’s not as if you find a senior and then in 24 hours, they’re there. So, I’m very proud to say at BMA, we focus less on the quantity of the number of seniors than it is the quality of their engagement.”
Data backs up the story
Stories open the door; data makes the case. BMA pairs district-specific enrollment and chronic disease data with the voices of the seniors who live there.
“You only can [counter rhetoric] with the authenticity of a senior’s voice and then the quality of the data to back it up. And it’s just beating a drum,” Donahue said.
Advocacy is year-round
Protecting Medicare Advantage means engaging policymakers all year — not just when a threat arises.
“Our advocacy is … throughout the year, and it’s just that repetition and being able to understand with policymakers the full agenda that they have in front of them and the competing priorities and how do we keep seizing opportunities,” Donahue said.
Listen to the full conversation here.
