Growing Movement to protect Medicare Plans
Washington, D.C. –The Coalition for Medicare Choices (CMC) -a national grassroots organization of more than 1.6 million individuals who receive their health care coverage through a Medicare Advantage health plan – today announced the launch of a new website as part of a growing effort to promote the value of Medicare Advantage and protect the benefits it provides to millions of American seniors. The new site includes enhanced tools to allow seniors in Medicare Advantage to engage with their members of Congress, take action to protect their health care benefits, and tell their personal Medicare Advantage stories.
Medicare Advantage is the part of Medicare through which private health plans provide comprehensive medical coverage to seniors and persons with disabilities. More than 15 million seniors, or roughly 30 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries, have chosen to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan because of the better services, higher-quality care, and added benefits these plans provide.
The new website includes an updated “Contact Your Lawmaker” feature that serves as a one-stop shop for the members of the Coalition. In addition, the new site helps Coalition members share their Medicare Advantage stories with their Congressional representatives through social media and other channels.
“Medicare Advantage is a critical lifeline for millions of American seniors, and with the program facing further cuts, they will be ready to stand up for the benefits and services that they rely on,” said AHIP spokesman Brendan Buck.
Last spring, after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed another round of cuts to Medicare Advantage, seniors from across the country contacted their representatives urging them to speak out against proposed cuts. As a result, a bipartisan group of 276 members of Congress from 45 states took a stand to protect beneficiaries enrolled in the program.
America’s Health Insurance Plans’ Coalition for Medicare Choices (CMC) was founded in 1999 and is a fast-growing, national grassroots organization of more than 1.6 million people. Members of the Coalition for Medicare Choices, who reside in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are united in supporting high-quality health plan choices and protecting Medicare Advantage from additional cuts.
Contact:
CKrusing@ahip.org
202-778-8494
reprinted by
Ralph Bredahl