Kelly Leads Bipartisan Letter to Protect Popular Medicare Advantage Program

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16), along with Representatives Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Brett Guthrie (KY-02), and Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), led a letter with 342 other bipartisan Members of Congress to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to express their strong support for the Medicare Advantage program, which provides high-quality care to 27 million older adults and people with disabilities.

"I've fought for years to protect Medicare so that seniors in Western Pennsylvania can sleep soundly knowing they'll have good healthcare for years to come. Pennsylvania has one of the most robust Medicare Advantage markets in the country and nearly 1.3 million Pennsylvanians depend on the program," said Rep. Kelly. "Our seniors deserve to have the best Medicare available, and Medicare Advantage gives them more options than ever before."

The Medicare Advantage (MA) program allows Medicare-eligible patients to choose individually tailored insurance plans operated by private companies to supplement traditional Medicare services. MA plans specifically give beneficiaries access to traditional Medicare benefits like hospital care or prescription drug benefits offered by Part D plans with the addition of dental, vision, and hearing care to name a few supplemental services. Nationally, this program has experienced substantial growth over the past several years, including a 9 percent growth between 2019 and 2020.

"Medicare Advantage is providing high-quality care with 90% of enrollees in a plan with a quality rating of 4 or more stars. It consistently delivers better care and value that provides beneficiaries with more coordinated access to high-quality providers and lower avoidable hospital and emergency department visits. Importantly, Medicare Advantage helps provide a holistic approach to care through access to telehealth services, in-home care, and benefits that address health-related social needs such as food insecurity and transportation needs," the members wrote.

"We are committed to ensuring that our more than 27 million constituents who rely on Medicare Advantage can count on stability in the program and do not face uncertainty about their benefits or premiums next year, and we are ready to protect the program from policies that would undermine this stability or the health outcomes of enrollees," the members continued.

Click HERE to read the full letter from 346 Members of Congress.

BACKGROUND:
Rep. Kelly is a long-time supporter of the Medicare Advantage program and has supported past efforts to continue strengthening the program. In 2020, he led a similar letter to the Trump Administration calling for the Administration to promote flexibility and innovation within the program, which gained the support of over 330 bipartisan Members of Congress.