Congressman Buyer Recognized for Helping Seniors
Press Release
Congressman Buyer Recognized for Helping Seniors
Washington, D.C.Congressman Steve Buyer was recognized at a rally Wednesday in Washington for his work supporting Medicare Advantage (MA), accepting an award designating him as a "Champion for Medicare Choices," by the Coalition for Medicare Choices.
"I believe that the Medicare Advantage program is a critical source of comprehensive medical coverage for the 8.5 million seniors that it serves, particularly for low-income, minority, and rural beneficiaries. This program allows greater access to care and better benefits at a reduced cost when compared to traditional Medicare programs," Buyer said.
First established in 1997 as Medicare+Choice and expanded in 2003, the Medicare Advantage program offers beneficiaries private plan options including private fee-for-service plans and has several regional preferred provider organizations to help seniors get the best care possible.
"We need to maintain the increased and successful participation of private plans that compete with Medicare to continue to improve the overall availability of care and services available to seniors. Since its inception, MA plans have grown dramatically, enrolling over 605,000 Medicare beneficiaries living in rural areas from 2003 to 2007, a 426% increase. This year, almost 99% of all Medicare beneficiaries have access to MA plans with lower out of pocket costs. They have access to an increased number of benefits to include vision, dental, hearing, prescription drug coverage, and better preventative care," Buyer stated.
"I oppose the Democrat proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage because they will devastate the healthcare access that beneficiaries in rural areas have gained in recent years. If implemented, the cuts could result in higher premiums, loss of benefits, or outright loss of all Medicare coverage. Such cuts could put more than 81,000 Hoosiers at risk of losing their Medicare coverage and that is just unacceptable," Buyer commented.
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