BMA, Nearly 70 Health Care Leaders Send Letter Rallying Support for Seniors’ Medicare Advantage Coverage

Washington, D.C.  – Better Medicare Alliance, the leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, sent a letter co-signed by nearly 70 consumer groups, provider associations, health systems, community-based nonprofits, and other health leaders urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure continued support for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

The letter, co-signed by top health care leaders including Meals on Wheels America, National Hispanic Medical Association, AMGA, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Home Care Association of America, ChenMed, Arizona Nurses Association, America’s Physician Groups, VillageMD, National Adult Day Services Association, Healthcare Leadership Council, and others, encourages CMS to “protect this coverage lifeline and safeguard important benefits in Medicare Advantage” while expressing the signers’ commitment to “ensuring that the more than 28 million Americans who rely on Medicare Advantage can count on stability in the years ahead and continued respect and support for their Medicare coverage choices.”

“As the regulatory cycle continues, and as Congress mulls various Medicare policies of its own, we are bringing together diverse stakeholders to ensure that the over 28 million Americans who actively choose and rely upon Medicare Advantage are heard and protected,” said Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. “As our letter explains, Medicare Advantage is delivering on health care goals set forth by the administration and Congress – saving seniors nearly $2,000 per year, providing coverage to a proportionally more diverse and lower-income beneficiary population, delivering lower per-beneficiary government spending compared to fee-for-service Medicare, and securing a 94% beneficiary satisfaction rate. We must not turn back the clock on seniors’ health coverage now. Better Medicare Alliance is proud to join these nearly 70 health care leaders in calling upon regulators and policymakers to safeguard the bipartisan Medicare Advantage success story that is supporting the health and financial security of millions, including our most vulnerable seniors.”

Better Medicare Alliance’s letter to CMS comes as the coalition also unveils a new website, MedicareAdvantageFacts.com, to address common misconceptions and released a new video highlighting lawmakers’ strong bipartisan support for the program.

Co-signers of the letter expressed their support, including:

“ChenMed relies on the innovations and flexibilities uniquely found in Medicare Advantage to deliver truly personalized care with VIP service that fuels industry-leading customer satisfaction and better health outcomes,” said Christopher Chen, MD, CEO of ChenMed. “We are proud to join Better Medicare Alliance in urging CMS – and all policymakers – to strengthen and protect this well-working coverage lifeline that is advancing health equity, empowering physicians, and transforming care for our seniors.”

“Over 660,000 Arizonans – 47% of our state’s Medicare-eligible population – choose the lower costs and high-quality coordinated care found in Medicare Advantage,” said Heather Ross, PhD, DNP, ANP-BC, FAANP, Governmental Affairs Officer for the Arizona Nurses Association. “Arizona nurses are serving these seniors every day and see firsthand the value of Medicare Advantage to their health care experience. We are pleased to add our name to the chorus of voices encouraging CMS to  safeguard this vital coverage option.”

“Medicare Advantage is critical to the work of Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) and our ability to deliver medically tailored meals to seriously ill individuals in the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond,” said Sue Daugherty, RDN, LDN, CEO of MANNA. “When regulators and policymakers stand up for Medicare Advantage, they in turn help community partners like MANNA deliver nourishment, health, and hope to our neighbors in need.”

“Medicare Advantage is working not only for the seniors who come through our doors each day, but also for our team of frontline health care providers across our 33 locations throughout central Texas,” said Anas Daghasteni, MD, CEO of Austin Regional Clinic. “The Medicare Advantage framework equips our physicians and care teams to deliver patient-centered care and wraparound supports that focus on each individual’s unique needs. The ongoing task of making health care more equitable, affordable, and accessible depends on a vibrant Medicare Advantage program.”

See the full letter led by Better Medicare Alliance and joined by 68 co-signers here.

Further Reading:

• Visit Better Medicare Alliance’s newly launched website, MedicareAdvantageFacts.com, for the latest information on Medicare Advantage payment and value.
• See lawmakers discuss the importance of Medicare Advantage in their own words in Better Medicare Alliance’s new video.
• Read an overview of current Medicare Advantage research and trends with better Medicare Alliance’s “Medicare Advantage at a Glance”

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