U.S. House Sets New, Bipartisan Record for Medicare Advantage Support
Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), and Mike Kelly (R-PA) lead 80% of the U.S. House in sending letter to CMS expressing strong support for Medicare Advantage
Washington, D.C. – Better Medicare Alliance, the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage, applauded the historic showing of bipartisan support for Medicare Advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, as expressed through a Congressional letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The letter was signed by a record-setting 346 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, topping the previous record of 339 and totaling 80% of the chamber. It comes as CMS prepares its annual rate-setting process, in which the agency will announce key decisions related to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries’ funding for the 2023 plan year.
In their letter, lawmakers urge CMS to “provide a stable rate and policy environment that ensure Medicare Advantage can continue to provide the affordable, high-quality, patient-centered coverage our constituents rely on every day.” The lawmakers went on to express a desire to work with CMS “to ensure that, through Medicare Advantage, tens of millions of older adults continue to have access to comprehensive, affordable, health coverage choices.”
“Medicare Advantage continues to reach new highs in enrollment, beneficiary satisfaction, and now, Congressional support,” said Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance. “At a time of increasing polarization in Washington and around the country, Medicare Advantage garners overwhelming bipartisan support because it delivers on its commitment to achieve lower costs and better outcomes for seniors.”
“On behalf of the over 28.5 million Americans who choose Medicare Advantage nationwide, we applaud Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Mike Kelly (R-PA), and their 342 co-signers for standing up for the health coverage their constituents need and deserve,” concluded Donahue.
The Congressional letter follows polling from Morning Consult that shows 92% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries consider a candidate’s support for the program as important to earn their vote.
Read the lawmakers’ letter to CMS here.
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