Press Releases
May 12, 2021

Better Medicare Alliance Praises Bipartisan Letter from 70 Members of Congress Supporting Medicare Advantage

Reps. Val Demings (D-FL), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Marc Veasey (D-TX), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) lead 66 other lawmakers from districts exceeding 50% Medicare Advantage enrollment on letter to HHS Secretary Becerra urging continued support for MA

Washington, D.C. – Better Medicare Alliance, the leading research and advocacy group supporting Medicare Advantage, applauded a bipartisan Congressional letter sent this week to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra from 70 Members of Congress representing districts with 50% or higher Medicare Advantage enrollment.

The letter, led by Representatives Val Demings (D-FL), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Marc Veasey (D-TX), and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), praises Medicare Advantage as “integral to fulfilling the Medicare guarantee” and notes that it is “uniquely positioned to ensure seniors receive the care and support they need during the pandemic and beyond.”

The lawmakers also shared that they “look forward to working with … [Secretary Becerra] to protect and strengthen MA for the over 26 million seniors it serves.”

“This letter is a remarkable, bipartisan showing of support for Medicare Advantage from lawmakers who know firsthand of its importance to their constituents,” said Allyson Y. Schwartz, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. “The fact that 70 ideologically and geographically diverse Members of Congress – including a strong showing of freshman members – wrote to HHS to take a stand for seniors’ access to Medicare Advantage is a testament to its strong consumer satisfaction, better outcomes, and valuable benefits that are enhancing the health and financial security of 26.5 million Americans today.”

Schwartz continued, “Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are proportionately lower-income, more diverse, and possess higher rates of social risk factors than their Traditional Medicare counterparts. They deserve to see their leaders in Washington stand up for their health coverage. These Members of Congress have done exactly that. On behalf of our over 500,000 grassroots advocates, we thank Congresswoman Val Demings (D-FL), Congressman Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX), Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and their 66 co-signers for their leadership. We trust their words will be well received by HHS Secretary Becerra who has also expressed support for Medicare Advantage.”

42 (60%) of the letter signers are Democrats and 28 (40%) are Republicans. Read the letter HERE.

Reps. Demings, Gallagher, Veasey, and Bilirakis’s letter was also signed by:

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY)
Rep. Al Lawson (D-FL)
Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA)
Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI)
Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY)
Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL)
Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL)
Rep. Chris Jacobs (R-NY)
Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA)
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI)
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)
Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL)
Rep. David Scott (D-GA)
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN)
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO)
Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN)
Rep. Ed Case (D-HI)
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
Rep. Filemon Vela (D-TX)
Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL)
Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-PA)
Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA)
Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL)
Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA)
Rep. Hank Johnson Jr. (D-GA)
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA)
Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (R-PR)
Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL)
Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN)
Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY)
Rep. John Katko (R-NY)
Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC)
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Rep. Lou Correa (D-CA)
Rep. Lucille Roybal Allard (D-CA)
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL)
Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL)
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA)
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL)
Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA)
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA)
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA)
Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA)
Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA)
Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA)
Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY)
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA)
Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI)
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY)
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
Rep. Scott Franklin (R-FL)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR)
Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL)
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN)
Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA)
Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Rep. Young Kim (R-CA)

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