More than half the members of both the House and Senate joined together this week to ask the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services not to cut payments to Medicare Advantage.
Cutting payments would result in “disruption and confusion” among the 17 million seniors and people with disabilities currently enrolled in the Medicare Advantage program, Sens. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote in a February 16 letter to CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt. The letter, signed by 61 senators, encouraged Slavitt to ensure that any policy changes “promote stability” and preserve Medicare Advantage options.
More than 300 members of the House of Representatives echoed Crapo and Schumer’s concerns in a letter sent to Slavitt on February 17.
Spearheaded by Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Patrick Murphy (D-FL), the House letter said the Medicare Advantage program is “a powerful example of how to move away from episodic, fee-for-service toward high quality, value-based care,” and asked that its funding also be preserved.
