Proposed Medicare cuts take center stage amid Florida visit

Joe Biden's America is as divided as ever.

On the heels of Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Joe Biden is heading to Florida today to double down on his commitment to protect Medicare.

The problem is, a major component of Medicare — Medicare Advantage — is facing deep cuts by his own administration that experts say will harm vulnerable seniors’ care.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released new proposals for Medicare Advantage that would lead to significant cuts to the program — with those proposed changes a loss of benefits, reduced access to care and increased costs for millions of vulnerable seniors who rely on Medicare Advantage.

More than 30 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, a vital part of today’s Medicare making up more than half of the entire Medicare population. In Florida, more than 2.61 million seniors and individuals with disabilities have chosen Medicare Advantage for their health care coverage, representing 53.15% of Florida’s entire Medicare-eligible population.

Florida’s seniors deserve to know why, after the President’s promises to protect this lifeline coverage on a national stage, is the Biden administration threatening deep cuts to the program days after he told the American people in his State of the Union address, “We will not cut Medicare.”

The implications for the administration’s proposed Medicare Advantage cuts are far-reaching, running counter to Biden’s own stated goals for achieving health equity. Medicare Advantage serves a diverse and clinically complex patient population with unique health care needs. Medicare Advantage enrollment among minority and dual-eligible beneficiaries (people who are able to enroll in both Medicare and Medicaid because of age or disability and income) has grown 111% and 125%, respectively, since 2013.

These cuts would mean higher premiums, increased out-of-pocket costs, reduced benefits and fewer choices for the more than 30 million seniors and individuals with disabilities who have chosen Medicare Advantage. Sunshine State seniors who depend on a strong and stable Medicare Advantage could be left with less affordable, lower quality and fewer health care options with limited supplemental benefits.

America’s Physician Groups called the proposed Medicare Advantage cuts “dangerous and disruptive.”

“[CMS’s proposed Medicare Advantage changes] would lead to serious harm to patients, especially those that are the most disadvantaged …,” said Susan Dentzer, President and CEO of America’s Physician Groups, in a statement released Wednesday.

An analysis conducted by Avalere Health concluded that those who suffer from major depressive disorder, diabetes with chronic conditions, vascular disease, and rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory connective tissue disease would be disproportionately harmed by CMS’s proposed cuts.

Mary Beth Donahue, President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance, the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization representing a diverse coalition of stakeholders supporting Medicare Advantage, called on Biden to honor his commitment to protect Medicare after Tuesday’s speech.

“Medicare Advantage is Medicare, and these benefits belong to the American people, including the 30 million seniors and people with disabilities who choose it,” said Donahue. “The administration’s massive proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage would threaten the high-quality, affordable care that beneficiaries depend on.”

Because of Medicare Advantage’s lower costs and higher-quality care, it is overwhelmingly popular in the Sunshine State, with 98% of beneficiaries being satisfied with their coverage. The $2,000 in annual cost savings and improved health care outcomes are helping drive support for the program, especially among seniors on fixed incomes and underserved populations.

There is also broad, bipartisan support for the program among Florida’s policymakers. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio wrote to CMS along with nearly two-thirds of his Senate colleagues expressing support for his constituents who rely on Medicare Advantage and urging the administration not to cut crucial benefits for Florida’s Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast tweeted during the President’s State of the Union that “Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy has been clear: cuts to Medicare and Social Security are OFF the TABLE. For Joe Biden to continue to lie and say that Republicans will cut the benefits you earned is just a gross, political lie. He’s the one who just cut billions from Medicare Advantage.”

During his visit, Biden must answer for his administration’s proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage — a vital part of Medicare which he has vowed to protect.