|
John, together with our allies, Social Security Works members submitted more than 30,000 official comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking them to stop private health insurers from ripping off Medicare. While we await their final verdict, we’re asking President Biden to weigh in on the side of the people. Please read our petition below and sign on!
|
Tell President Biden:
At tremendous cost to taxpayers and people with Medicare, the government has overpaid Medicare Advantage plans tens of billions of dollars for more than a decade and is projected to overpay them more than $1 trillion in the next decade.
Just as the government recoups overpayments to individuals it should be recouping Medicare Advantage overpayments, not rewarding them with greater revenues. In addition to driving up costs for everyone with Medicare, it is eroding the Medicare Trust Fund.
We urge you to reduce MA rates to a level commensurate with Traditional Medicare and recoup all overpayments.
|
Corporations like United Healthcare, Aetna, Humana and BlueCross BlueShield have been conducting a stealth privatization of our Medicare system, under the guise of for-profit plans marketed as “Medicare Advantage.”
Under Medicare Advantage, these corporations have delayed and denied care to millions of Americans in order to turn a massive profit. Medicare Advantage isn’t really Medicare, and it isn’t an advantage to the seniors and people with disabilities who rely on the program. In the 25 years that it has existed, it’s clear that Medicare Advantage is riddled with the same problems as the rest of private insurance: Opaque bureaucracy and extraordinary fees. Seniors who enroll in these for-profit plans are being price-gouged by massive corporations.
Now, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it plans to increase payments to Medicare Advantage plans by 3.7% in 2025! And corporations like UHC stand to gain the most from this price hike, while beneficiaries suffer the consequences.
Our coalition has submitted tens of thousands of comments opposing this year’s rate hike for private Medicare Advantage plans. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reviews those official comments, it’s critical that we keep the pressure on the White House.
Can you sign our petition to President Biden and urge him to reclaim Medicare?
Private Medicare Advantage plans spend 15-25 percent less than traditional Medicare on their enrollees' medical services and are paid 23% more. This is a classic case of greedy corporations stealing from taxpayers and people with Medicare.
Here’s the truth: The government has overpaid Medicare Advantage plans over the past decade, and it's projected to overpay as much as an additional $1.56 trillion between now and 2033. They should be paying us back, not the other way around.
Thank you,
Social Security Works + Be A Hero
|
