STARK, CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS URGE HHS SECRETARY TO PROTECT SENIORS IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS

(From PoliticalNews.me)
Washington, DC – House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA), along with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin (D-MI), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT), House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), Senate Finance Health Subcommittee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), yesterday wrote Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urging her to closely review Medicare Advantage plan bids for 2011.

The congressional leaders encouraged the Secretary to require private insurance companies to justify any proposed changes in premiums or benefits for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans. The leaders also asked the Secretary to use the authority given to her by the recently passed health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to protect seniors from unwarranted rate hikes and high out-of-pocket costs.

“Insurers have been reaping huge profits at the expense of Medicare beneficiaries and taxpayers,” said Stark. “Health reform trimmed gross overpayments from the Medicare Advantage program. CMS must carefully police these insurers to make sure they don't continue bilking seniors to pad their profit margins.”

“Health reform takes critical steps toward ensuring the integrity of Medicare by arming CMS with the tools they need to protect beneficiaries from abusive insurance company practices,” said Levin. “CMS must now use these tools and remain vigilant so that Medicare beneficiaries have someone fighting in their corner.”

“Health care reform strengthened Medicare and made Medicare Advantage more competitive, but it is critical that we don’t let private insurance companies use these changes as an excuse to raise premiums or cut benefits for seniors to bolster their own bottom line,” said Baucus. “The Affordable Care Act gave the Secretary new authority to crack down on private insurance companies that take advantage of the Medicare Advantage program and I’m confident she will use it protect seniors’ benefits.”

“Seniors on fixed incomes shouldn’t be subjected to exorbitant health care premium increases,” said Rockefeller. “The Federal Government must continue to crack down on the unscrupulous practices of private health insurers.”

“Medicare plays a critically important role insuring that millions of Americans receive the health care they need,” said Waxman. “Today we are encouraging the Administration to take a critical look at the Medicare Advantage plans’ bids for 2011 to insure that taxpayer funds are spent wisely.”

“Thanks to the Affordable Health Care Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will have the power she needs to properly monitor Medicare Advantage plans during the bidding process,” said Pallone. “I urge her to use her new authority to carefully review the bids being submitted by Medicare Advantage plans to make sure that they are in the best interest of America’s seniors.”

Stark, Baucus, Levin, Waxman, and Pallone all worked to draft and pass the Affordable Care Act in March of this year.