Florida congressmen are up in arms against a proposed cut to Medicaid Advantage mandated by President Barack Obamas federal health-care law.
Toward the end of February, the Obama administration called for a 0.9 percent cut to Medicaid Advantage which provides health care to more than 16 million Americans, most of them seniors. Obamas health-care law mandates the cuts so Medicare Advantage would be in line with Medicares fee-for-service program.
The proposal has drawn the fire of members of the Florida delegation, including U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. In recent days, Murphy has been the subject of speculation about a bid for the U.S. Senate in 2016.
At the end of last week, Murphy teamed up with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., in crafting a letter to Andy Slavitt, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging him not to cut Medicare Advantage. Almost 240 members of the U.S. House, more than half the members of the House, signed the letter.
More than 16 million Americans depend on Medicare Advantage, including 1.5 million Floridians, Murphy said on Thursday. Further cuts to this important program could limit health-care options and deprive beneficiaries of the services they need. The seniors I represent cannot afford higher out-of-pocket costs and slashed benefits. For the first time, a bipartisan majority of House members are taking a stand to protect seniors on Medicare Advantage, and I am hopeful that CMS will take the appropriate steps to avoid benefit cuts.
These recent cuts have impacted seniors across all 50 states, said Guthrie. Medicare Advantage plans provide critical services and additional cuts could limit millions of seniors access to the quality, affordable health care they have chosen. I am proud of the overwhelming bipartisan support we have received to join us in asking that CMS look to pursue avenues to stabilize funding and ensure that MA beneficiaries are protected.
The letter was signed by Florida Republican U.S. Reps. Gus Bilirakis, Vern Buchanan, Curt Clawson, Carlos Curbelo, Ron DeSantis, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Jolly, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Rich Nugent, Bill Posey, Tom Rooney, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Dennis Ross, Dan Webster and Ted Yoho. Florida Democratic U.S. Reps. Corrine Brown, Lois Frankel, Gwen Graham, Alan Grayson, Alcee Hastings and Frederica Wilson also signed the letter.
Earlier in the month, Buchanan sent Slavitt a letter of his own, urging the administration to leave Medicare Advantage alone.
I write to express my strong opposition to a proposed cut in the federal governments reimbursement rate for Medicare Advantage health plans, which cover 54,000 seniors in my congressional district, Buchanan wrote. If these cuts were to take effect, up to 16 million Americans across the nation would be in jeopardy of losing their coverage or facing higher out-of-pocket costs. Many of these senior citizens are now living on fixed incomes and cannot bear the added financial burden of higher health-care expenses.
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries have already seen cuts of approximately 10 percent over the past two years, Buchanan added. To make matters worse, another round of cuts to the program from the presidents health-care law is slated to go into effect this year. I am concerned that insurance companies would stop offering certain plans as a result of these new, additional cuts that you have proposed.
Medicare Advantage plans have a proven track record of improving health outcomes, reducing costs, and offering much needed personal choice to seniors, Buchanan insisted. On behalf of the seniors in my congressional district enrolled in Medicare Advantage, I urge CMS to reverse this dangerous proposal before millions are adversely affected. In February of last year, I wrote to your agency expressing serious concerns about the administrations proposed Medicare Advantage cuts for 2015. I was encouraged when CMS withdrew the plan. I urge you to do the same on behalf of 16 million seniors.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
