Guest Author
With the cost of living continuing to climb, Floridians — especially seniors and those with disabilities — are facing greater challenges in affording essential health care. Lawmakers from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C., must come together to advance policies that lower costs and expand access to care.
They can do just that by adequately funding Medicare Advantage — the increasingly popular version of Medicare that leverages public-private partnerships, coordinated care, and a greater variety of more integrated benefits. Together, these features work to the “advantage” of beneficiaries, caregivers, and all Floridians by improving patient outcomes, reducing costs, and supporting healthier senior communities.
Both my time in the Florida House of Representatives and now as Chair of the Small Business and Consumers Alliance have given me a deeper understanding of the importance of the Medicare Advantage program and its positive impact on Florida families, businesses, and communities. This is one of those rare examples of a working, effective government program and, as such, it deserves the support of lawmakers in Congress.
This is especially concerning given the repeated funding cuts to Medicare Advantage in recent years — cuts that have jeopardized benefits and driven up premiums. Fortunately, the Advance Rate Notice released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the last couple weeks of the Joe Biden administration called for a slight payment increase. However, it will be up to Congress and the new administration to follow through, work to reverse years of cuts, and put Medicare Advantage on a stable path for the future.
Compared to traditional Medicare, beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage can choose from a wider range of health care services and support, like access to integrated prescription, vision, hearing, and dental benefits with no additional premiums, as well as fitness and nutrition benefits that help seniors focus on eating well, staying active, and participating in their communities.
On top of providing seniors and patients with disabilities with more comprehensive care, Medicare Advantage also helps deliver critical cost savings at a time when saving every penny counts. Medicare Advantage beneficiaries pay lower monthly premiums than traditional Medicare enrollees and save more money thanks to the capped annual out-of-pocket expenses that Medicare Advantage offers.
The value and benefits Medicare Advantage provides help explain the rapid growth the program has had over the last decade or so. Enrollment in Medicare Advantage in now up to over 34 million Americans, including more than 2.9 million Floridians — that’s well over half the Medicare eligible population both nationally and statewide. It is critical for lawmakers to keep this program strong so it can continue improving quality of life and contributing to stronger, healthier communities in the Sunshine State and across the country.
As lawmakers consider this issue, it is critical to note that seniors and patients with disabilities are not the only ones to benefit Medicare Advantage program. Their family members, networks of caregivers, health care teams, local small businesses, and communities all benefit from a stronger, fully funded Medicare Advantage program. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should prioritize this and ensure Medicare Advantage gets the funding and support it — and the tens of millions of Americans it serves — so greatly deserves.
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Jim Kallinger represented District 35 in the Florida House of Representatives from 2002–2004. He later served as president of the National Association of Former State Legislators and is now Chair of the Small Business and Consumers Alliance.
