Today, the Coalition for Medicare Choices (CMC) announced that its membership has reached 2 million members working to protect their Medicare Advantage benefits. The 2 millionth member, Bertha Shinn of Las Vegas, was officially honored at an event with Congressman Joe Heck (R-NV) last week and local Medicare Advantage seniors from the Coalition in Henderson, NV.
“Nevada’s seniors deserve the freedom to choose the healthcare plan that works best for them, and for nearly 150,000 Nevadans Medicare Advantage provides that freedom,” said Congressman Heck. “The Coalition for Medicare Choices reaching the 2 millionth member milestone is proof of the benefits Medicare Advantage provides to our seniors. In Congress, I am working to ensure Medicare Advantage remains a viable option for our seniors.”
Congressman Heck has been recognized by the CMC as a 2015 Medicare Advantage Champion for his leadership in Washington to protect seniors in the program.
Since 1999, millions of seniors have joined the CMC to protect their Medicare Advantage coverage from benefit cuts. The event with Congressman Heck brought together seniors in Henderson, including the newest Coalition member, Bertha Shinn, to share their personal stories about the difference Medicare Advantage has made in their lives. Bertha is the 2 millionth member to join the CMC, and marks a new milestone of enrollment for the group and its powerful voice in support of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.
“I am proud to be the two millionth member of the Coalition for Medicare Choices and to share my Medicare Advantage story,” Shinn said. “Medicare Advantage is so important to my health and wellbeing, and I appreciate Congressman Heck and others who are looking out for seniors with Medicare Advantage.”
The CMC is a national grassroots organization of 2 million Medicare Advantage beneficiaries—including more than 33,000 Nevadans—from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. CMC members are working to protect their Medicare Advantage benefits and actively communicate with members of Congress about issues that affect their coverage. Over the years, CMC members have made more than a million contacts with their members of Congress.
This ongoing expansion comes at a time when the CMC continues to build on its year-round grassroots engagement with policymakers, including an effort focused on engaging presidential candidates in Nevada and other primary states and a series of roundtable discussions with members of Congress on the importance of protecting Medicare Advantage seniors.
Strong bipartisan support for Medicare Advantage seniors continues to grow on Capitol Hill. This past spring, when the Medicare agency proposed changes to Medicare Advantage that would put seniors’ coverage at risk, a bipartisan group of 348 members of Congress stood up to protect their constituents who rely on the program. These voices join a broad array of partners working with the CMC to protect seniors.
Nationwide, nearly 17 million Americans, including more than 149,000 Nevadans, choose Medicare Advantage because of the better services, higher-quality care, and added benefits these health care plans provide.