Better Medicare Alliance Statement on Ways and Means Committee Markup of H.R. 4093, Apples to Apples Comparison Act

WASHINGTON — Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) today issued the following statement from Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance, ahead of tomorrow’s House Committee on Ways and Means markup of the Apples to Apples Comparison Act (H.R. 4093), legislation introduced by Reps. Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Kevin Hern (R-OK) to improve the data and methodology used in government comparisons of Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service Medicare. 

“With more seniors than ever choosing Medicare Advantage, policymakers need complete and accurate data to guide decisions about the program. Yet existing analyses of Medicare Advantage costs—including those published by MedPAC—too often rely on incomplete data or comparisons that do not fully account for differences between Medicare Advantage and Fee-for-Service Medicare. Policymakers, taxpayers, and beneficiaries deserve better. 

“The Apples to Apples Comparison Act would bring greater clarity and accountability to the debate by requiring CMS to release more comprehensive enrollment and spending data and enabling MedPAC to produce more accurate comparisons of Medicare Advantage and Fee-for-Service Medicare. 

“We thank Representatives Bean and Hern for their leadership. Decisions affecting seniors’ healthcare should be grounded in the strongest possible evidence, and we urge the Committee to advance this important legislation.” 

H.R. 4093 would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make standardized enrollment and health spending data available across Medicare Advantage and fee-for-service Medicare and would improve the information available to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and Medicare Trustees as they evaluate and report on Medicare spending. 

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Better Medicare Alliance is a community of hundreds of thousands of grassroots beneficiaries and 200+ ally organizations working to improve healthcare through a strong Medicare Advantage. Learn more at bettermedicarealliance.org.