In the waning days of the Biden presidency, the administration proposed yet another blow to the Medicare Advantage (MA) program — a disappointing (though ultimately, unsurprising) reversal given Joe Biden’s raft of half-baked and unsustainable promises on Medicare “reform.” Funding for this market-based program already fails to address ever-rising inflation, and this latest proposal will put even greater pressure on seniors who are already struggling to afford medical coverage. The Biden administration has left American seniors in the lurch; now, President Donald Trump must act to put this crucial program back on solid footing.
More than half of seniors eligible for Medicare are enrolled in MA plans. These plans are an alternative to traditional Medicare that typically offer additional benefits like coverage of dental, hearing, and vision services – often for no additional premium. And, because these plans are grounded in competition and have improper payment rates below the traditional Medicare program, MA is an important and market-based improvement over the status-quo for taxpayers and consumers.
Nearly 33 million Americans are enrolled in a MA plan, and beneficiaries cite the simplicity and convenience of plans as reasons for continued and expanding enrollment. In other words, erratic executive actions that threaten MA will make life and health care access more difficult for a large and vulnerable part of our citizenry.
Beneficiaries may see headlines about MA reimbursement rates increasing by about 2%, but they should not be fooled by this misinformation; it is pure political gamesmanship. The government’s proposed rate “increases” are lower than the current inflation rate, making them a cut in real dollars. This adds insult to injury, given that inflation has skyrocketed under Biden and remains remarkably stubborn. Inflation has hit the medical sector particularly hard. This year, medical cost growth is anticipated to reach its highest level in 13 years.
PricewaterhouseCoopers is “projecting an 8% year-on-year medical cost trend in 2025 for the Group market and 7.5% for the Individual market. This near-record trend is driven by inflationary pressure, prescription drug spending and behavioral health utilization.” […]
— Read More: issuesinsights.com
