Over 33 million seniors, and more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries, choose Medicare Advantage (MA). People above say it brings better value, better benefits and more peace of mind. Many of the programs are Trump voters in states such as Florida, Texas and the Midwest, with the highest Medicare Advantage enrollment. These are real people who rely on MA plans to manage chronic illnesses, avoid surprise bills and get care close to home.
But despite this success, unelected bureaucrats in Washington continue to use old tools to measure and evaluate the program. And the consequences are serious.
Florida State Assemblyman Aaron Bean’s proposal for the Apple and April Comparison Act (HR 4093) provides Congress and the public with a tool to compare Medicare benefits fairly and accurately with the original Medicare using real data rather than biased assumptions.
Groups like MedPac, a congressional body that advises Medicare policies, often compare apples to oranges. They use outdated datasets, including former Medicare people who don’t even qualify for MAs, and overlook the many supplemental benefits that MAs offer to address issues such as medical, nutrition, dental, hearing, and vision transport. As a result, there have been distorted reports of painting MA in unfair light.
It has not stopped them from seizing these flawed reports and pushing forward their own agenda. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, advocate for single payer government-controlled healthcare voices, attacked MA using an incomplete analysis of MEDPAC. She argues that the program is full of waste and overpayment despite millions of low-income and minority elderly people relying on MA’s plans every day. The reality is that MAs register Americans who are dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, with some of the nation’s most complex health needs, rather than traditional Medicare. However, you cannot know that from reading Medpac’s one-sided report.
Senator Bean, a powerful conservative from Florida, has adopted an innovative, fact-based approach. His bill requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish detailed spending and registration data for each region and type of plan. MEDPAC also forces people to use only those eligible for both programs in comparison, to consider the value of the MA and to open up work to public reviews.
“It’s not about politics, it’s about truth and fairness,” Rep. Bean said.
Advocates of Medicare Advantage argue that the program is a successful market-driven option that older people prefer and taxpayers can afford. Supporters of Rep. Bean’s bill say this is the right move at the right time and he should be praised for standing up to protect the hard-earned profits of older people. Medicare changes ensure your eyes are wide open.
