Katie Britt joins letter supporting Medicare Advantage programs

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On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt joined a bipartisan group of 60 Senators in a letter urging the Biden administration to continue support for the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Millions of seniors and individuals with disabilities use the corporate MA plans across the U.S. to get their Medicare benefits. Sen. Tommy Tuberville also signed the letter.

“The number of Americans who choose Medicare Advantage continues to grow each year, with enrollment doubling over the last decade, resulting in Medicare Advantage serving nearly 50 percent of individuals eligible for Medicare,” the Senators wrote. “…In 2023, average Medicare Advantage premiums will fall to a 16-year low of $18 per month and beneficiaries will have access to vital financial protections, including out-of-pocket spending limits and often prescription drug coverage for no additional premium.”

The Senators also urged “CMS to look at meaningful ways to continue to sustain and strengthen Medicare Advantage that protects beneficiaries’ affordability and access and builds on the unique attributes of Medicare Advantage.”

“We are committed to our nearly 30 million constituents across the United States who rely on Medicare Advantage, and to maintaining access to the affordable, high-quality care they currently receive,” Britt and the other Senators wrote. “We ask that the Administration provide a stable rate and policy environment for Medicare Advantage that will strengthen and ensure the long-term sustainability of the program—protecting access to its important benefits on which our constituents have come to rely,” they concluded.”

“It is crucial that we meet our obligations to the hardworking families and retirees who have paid into Social Security and Medicare their entire careers,” Sen. Britt said in a statement. “Over half of all Alabamians who are eligible for Medicare choose Medicare Advantage. I will continue to fight to ensure all Alabamians can live their American Dream and thrive in safe, strong communities.”

Originally Medicare was a government program that provides seniors with healthcare benefits. The program includes Medicare Part A, which pays most of a senior’s hospital benefits with copays and deductibles paid by the senior. Seniors have to enroll in Medicare Part B, which provides almost everything else except for prescription drugs. Seniors pay premiums for their Part B benefits. Most pay $164.90 a month (in 2023), though for poor seniors, Medicaid picks up all or part of their Medicare premiums, and wealthy seniors pay more for their coverage– up to $395.60 per month. Seniors are also responsible for picking up roughly a third of the cost of their healthcare costs. A number of insurance companies offer Medigap coverage (often referred to as Medicare supplements) that pays all or part of the Part A and B copays and deductibles.  

Medicare Advantage (MA) is a Medicare plan offered by a private company that is contracted through Medicare to provide seniors with Part A and Part B benefits. These plans, often referred to as Medicare Part C plans, are usually HMOs or PPOs but can also be a Private Fee-for-Service Plan, Special Needs Plan, or Medicare Medical Savings Account Plan. Medicare Advantage is much more like the HMOs and PPOs that most people under age 65 use for their healthcare coverage. Each corporate MA plan has different copays and deductibles, and monthly premiums. MA plans became an alternative to original Medicare due to legislation in 1997 during the Clinton Administration. Medicare added a prescription drug benefit plan through Medicare’s corporate partners – often called Medicare Part D during the Bush Administration. Part D plans are means-tested and are often bundled within MA plans.

Katie Britt is serving in her first term in office following her landslide election to the Senate in 2022.

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