Coalition Members Meet Virtually with the Office of Representative McBath

Six members of the Coalition for Medicare Choices (CMC) recently met with the office of Representative Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) to discuss the many ways Medicare Advantage provides high-quality health care to seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Coalition member Charlene shared that she was quadriplegic, and her medical expenses – including transportation to her doctor – were exceeding her income. Once she enrolled in Medicare Advantage, she was relieved to have her transportation costs covered. Just that week, she noted, she had a doctor’s appointment, stating that “this is an appropriate time for me to express my appreciation for my Medicare Advantage plan. […] Please don’t cut this program as it makes a difference for me.”

Conneva, a CMC advocate, said her husband recently had two serious injuries and their Medicare Advantage plan helped keep out-of-pocket costs low. She added that their plan helped them to find doctors they love who also focus on preventative care. She closed by saying, “to cut Medicare Advantage and take away our benefits would be devastating to our household budget.”

Coalition member Audrey said that she likes the prescription and over-the-counter drug benefits. She said, “Medicare Advantage has put more funds back into my budget as you don’t have to pay a deductible to see a specialist. I’ve had friends that have had to choose between seeing specialists or putting a roof over their head, food to eat, or gas in their car. I’m not paying as much with Medicare Advantage and that’s a really big reward for me. To take that away from us at this time, you would put us back between eating, having a place to live and seeing specialists. By all means, do whatever it takes to protect Medicare Advantage.”

Martha and Van, who are both Coalition members, told the group that they like the free fitness programs. “We’ve gone to gyms all over the country and are really pleased with the ability to use gyms all over. It’s a real joy to go to a city and find a gym and use it. We would really hate to have that benefit go away. We’ve learned as we’ve gotten older that the more active you are, the healthier you are. The gym benefit – it helps us fight back against aging and keeps seniors like us healthier in the long run,” they shared.

CMC advocate Mae said that she needs Medicare Advantage to help with her dental, vision, hearing, and over-the-counter drug costs. She shared, “Medicare Advantage has helped me save thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket expenses for dental and I’m hard of hearing. I appreciate Medicare Advantage. I really hope that Congress will not cut it which would increase our premiums.”

Representative McBath’s staff told the group that “health care is a number one priority for us. We’re aware of our constituency and how important Medicare Advantage is to them.” He went on, “our legislative priority is making sure that affordable care is available for everyone. We understand how important it is that cuts aren’t made so that folks are not having their care taken away from them. Thank you for sharing your stories — we will do everything that we can to make sure that those crucial services are not cut.”

The CMC is grateful to the office of Representative McBath for meeting with our Coalition members and for her support of Medicare Advantage.