Bipartisan Group of 61 U.S. Senators Sends Letter to CMS Urging Stability for Medicare Advantage for More Than 32 Million Beneficiaries
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) lead geographically and politically diverse group of Senators who support Medicare Advantage
WASHINGTON — Better Medicare Alliance, the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage for the more than 32 million beneficiaries it serves, today applauds a bipartisan Senate letter sent Friday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) expressing strong support for Medicare Advantage and the care it provides to “an increasingly diverse population with varied health and socioeconomic backgrounds, including a growing number of Americans in minority and rural communities.”
The letter, led by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and co-signed by 57 of their Senate colleagues, representing diverse geographic regions and political views, points out that compared with traditional Medicare beneficiaries, Medicare Advantage enrollees are more likely to live on less than $20,000 per year. “That is why seniors and individuals with disabilities must continue to have stable access to the extra benefits and out-of-pocket protections only available in Medicare Advantage,” the letter stresses.
“We thank Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tim Scott (R-SC), Gary Peters (D-MI), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and the 57 co-signers, for their leadership and commitment to supporting Medicare Advantage for more than 32 million seniors and individuals with disabilities who depend on the program daily, including many who live in rural areas,” said Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. “The diversity of support behind this letter– more than half of the U.S. Senate – for payment and policy stability reflects the success of Medicare Advantage in delivering coordinated care and better outcomes for the beneficiaries who choose it.”
The bipartisan group of 61 Senators requests that CMS “ensure payment and policy stability for the Medicare Advantage program, to protect and strengthen this critical choice for current and future Medicare beneficiaries.” This Senate support letter comes on the heels of a stakeholder letter, recently sent to CMS and signed by Better Medicare Alliance and 65 other organizations that serve beneficiaries, urging the Administration to consider policies that promote stability and support a strong, sustainable Medicare Advantage program.
Healthcare stakeholders serving Medicare Advantage beneficiaries join in expressing their appreciation to this bipartisan group of U.S. senators for supporting Medicare Advantage for the more than 32 million seniors and people with disabilities nationwide:
“With a proportionally more diverse beneficiary population, including many Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander elders who are more at risk than ever, protecting Medicare Advantage means protecting some of America’s most vulnerable seniors,” said Juliet K. Choi, President and CEO of Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). “APIAHF commends these 61 senators for recognizing and supporting Medicare Advantage as a key driver to closing gaps in health disparities and reaching underserved, immigrant populations and communities of color with needed care.”
“The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities applauds this bipartisan group of Senators for their continued support of Medicare Advantage, helping ensure every Medicare Advantage enrollee who is managing a disability will continue to stay healthy through critical access to the care and services they need,” said Dennis Borel, Executive Director of the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities. “With a higher rate of beneficiaries who enroll in Medicare Advantage due to a disability than in FFS Medicare, the program’s flexible benefit design has allowed for innovative coverage solutions tailored to the needs of people with disabilities.”
“On behalf of more than 50,000 Hispanic physicians in the United States, we are grateful to these 61 senators for supporting Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, particularly those from historically marginalized groups who have faced cultural and social barriers to high-quality, accessible healthcare,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association. “Today, with 69 percent of Medicare-eligible Latinos choosing Medicare Advantage, payment and program stability will be crucial to ensuring Hispanic seniors continue to have access to the affordable, holistic, and quality care they deserve.”
“With millions of dually eligible individuals aging in place, their Medicare and Medicaid benefits must work together to ensure higher quality, more cost-effective care,” said Dan Savitt, President and CEO, VNS Health (NY). “We applaud these U.S. Senators for affirming the pivotal role Medicare Advantage can play in addressing this challenge and improving health equity. By integrating Medicare and Medicaid services, Medicare Advantage plans – particularly Dual Special Needs Plans – are integrating care so that low-income seniors and people with disabilities can enjoy more of their time in their homes and communities.”
Read the letter HERE. A full list of signers is provided below:
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL)
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ)
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
Sen. John Boozman (R-AR)
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA)
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE)
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL)
Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)
Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN)
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)
Sen. Angus King (I-ME)
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
Sen. John Tester (D-MT)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE)
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND)
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH)
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA)
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
Sen. John Thune (R-SD)
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT)
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY)
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
Better Medicare Alliance is a community of more than one million grassroots beneficiaries and 200+ ally organizations working to improve health care through a strong Medicare Advantage. Learn more at www.bettermedicarealliance.org.
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