Letter: We cannot cut Medicare Advantage

Originally published in the Delaware News Journal

Throughout the many years I’ve known and supported President Joe Biden, he’s always been a champion for high-quality, affordable health care coverage, especially for our most vulnerable populations. In my life, I’ve gotten to experience a wide variety of health care coverage plans. By far my favorite, both for its affordability and its benefits, is Medicare Advantage.

The program recently announced the landmark number of over 30 million enrollees. As an enrollee in the program myself, I am overjoyed to hear that so many other Americans are receiving the quality of care I have come to expect through my health care plan.

An aspect I love about Medicare Advantage, especially when viewed on a national scale, is its bipartisan support. Medicare Advantage is one of those sensible, fiscally responsible programs that have a real impact on people’s health and livelihoods. It’s especially important to look at the demographics of who is impacted most by Medicare Advantage. 57% of the program’s enrollees are women, and 40% make less than $25,000 a year. This is a vital program for millions and millions of seniors. In a time of political polarization, we must support programs such as Medicare Advantage that receive wide-spread support on both sides of the aisle.

I’m proud to be a Medicare Advantage enrollee — we cannot afford to let this vital program be cut.

— Rickie Armstrong, Wilmington