Letter: Michiganders Can’t Afford to Lose Medicare Advantage Savings

Originally published in the Oakland Press

Everybody loves to save money. Especially when you aren’t expecting to! For most of us, the cost of our healthcare coverage is not somewhere we expect to see money go back into our pockets.

And yet, thanks to the affordability of Medicare Advantage, I saw my premium go down in the last year. Some of my co-pays also went down or went away altogether. While one would think the cost of care decreasing would lead to a cut in benefits, I actually saw an increase in the benefits and services I was able to access.

Whether it be integrated dental, hearing, and vision benefits, prescription drug coverage, in-home care support, transportation cost coverage, or grocery planning and deliveries, Medicare Advantage has found a way to meet the varied needs of the senior community while keeping down costs.

However, now there are discussions over potential changes to Medicare Advantage. Should cuts be made to the program, premiums may increase, and certain plans could become inaccessible that many of us currently rely on.

I hope Senators Peters, Stabenow, and our congressional delegation will take the concerns of their constituents into account and fight against any proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage.

Sharon Baseman
Huntington Woods