Protect the 400,000 Virginians enrolled in Medicare Advantage
President Joe Biden was in our area this week to discuss the need to protect affordable health care from policies that could cause cost increases. Virginia Beach seniors like us hoped the president would address the recent proposal by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would cut benefits and increase premiums for 30 million seniors on Medicare Advantage. After all, Medicare Advantage is a vital part of Medicare. Unfortunately, we did not get the reassurances we were hoping for that the administration would be looking out for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries too.
Leaders from both sides of the aisle talk a lot about the importance of keeping Medicare strong. We could not agree more and ask that Biden follow through on his commitment to “stand up for seniors.” Unfortunately, the Administration’s recent CMS advance rate notice proposal would impose harmful cuts to the Medicare Advantage program that could undermine access to high-quality, affordable health care and wellness programs for more than 30 million seniors and people with disabilities. According to a recent independent study by Avalere, these cuts would impact nearly 400,000 Virginians, resulting in a $572 impact per beneficiary annually through either higher premiums or reduced benefits.
Like many retirees, we are on a very tight budget. Cuts to our Medicare Advantage benefits will directly and significantly impact our household finances. We are also dealing with chronic health issues — one of us is both a cancer survivor and is now living with diabetes. We are really concerned that these cuts will affect our access to the health care and benefits we have come to rely on, as well as increasing our out-of-pocket costs.
For example, every month, we count on the full amount of our over-the-counter medicine benefit to help us access the regular medications and supplies we need. At the same time, with record high inflation already taking a major toll on our budget, the loss of the $100 grocery allotment we currently receive would be nothing short of devastating.
With chronic health issues, we chose Medicare Advantage specifically because of benefits such as paying one low monthly premium that covers hospital visits, doctors and outpatient appointments, and prescription drugs. If, for example, our co-pays increase as a result of these cuts, it could impact our ability to get the care and treatments we need to stay healthy.
What we can’t understand is why these cuts are necessary when Medicare Advantage delivers more and better benefits — such as vision, hearing and dental coverage; meal delivery; in-home services; and medical transportation — while saving beneficiaries like us money. According to a report by ATI , beneficiaries in the Medicare Advantage program spend nearly $2,000 less on premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The combination of increased benefits, improved patient outcomes and lower costs has led to Medicare Advantage having a 94% satisfaction rate by beneficiaries — very much including us.
Another really important point for us is the benefits delivered by Medicare Advantage when it comes to diabetes care. A recent study that found Medicare Advantage delivers better outcomes for patients with diabetes in several key areas: earlier detection and diagnosis; greater use of preventive care; and a reduced need for inpatient hospitalizations, ER visits and dialysis.
Given the important role Medicare Advantage plays in our lives, we are very concerned with the Biden administration proposal to take billions of dollars away from this valuable program. The president talked about the importance of protecting health care while he was here in Virginia Beach. We hope he takes a strong stand against these cuts and instead commits to not cutting Medicare Advantage so it can continue to help people like us live better and healthier lives.
Bill Shepheard is a retired business owner. Sue Shepheard is a retired teacher. They have lived and worked in Virginia Beach for more than 60 years.