Medicare Advantage: What Lawmakers Are Saying

March 28, 2022

28 million seniors and people with disabilities choose Medicare Advantage for high-quality, affordable health care coverage. 93% of seniors with Medicare Advantage are satisfied with their coverage, and the program has bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and Senate as well.

Throughout the year, Coalition for Medicare Choices (CMC) members have engaged their members of Congress to discuss why Medicare Advantage is such an important program. Here’s what some lawmakers had to say…

In a meeting with our Michigan Coalition members, Rep. Haley Stevens told the group, “Thank you for your personal stories. Medicare Advantage is an important program. I am working to ensure that seniors have access to high-quality coverage.

Rep. Tom Malinowski shared that “supporting important programs like Medicare Advantage is just a no-brainer for me. It is the right thing to do for our seniors,” while discussing the value of Medicare Advantage with a group of Coalition members.

During a conversation with several New Hampshire Coalition members, Rep. Chris Pappas told the seniors, “We signed a letter back in January expressing strong bipartisan support for Medicare Advantage that was signed by hundreds of colleagues across the country and across the aisle, which is good news for the program. […] I am strongly in support of this program and want to do all we can to make sure there are no cuts and no one who is currently enrolled is prohibited from doing so in the future – I believe there is great bipartisan support for that approach.

While discussing the many benefits and services Medicare Advantage provides to our New Jersey Coalition members, Rep. Frank Pallone told the group, “You can count on me to support you and Medicare Advantage.

Our Oregon Coalition members participated in a meeting with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici who shared, “I’m glad to hear from you and as someone who has helped family members with Medicare Advantage and know a lot of constituents rely on Medicare Advantage, I thank you for sharing your stories. I’ll do what I can to make sure you get the benefits you need.” She added, “I really appreciate you sharing your stories and hope that you stay in touch. I just recently signed a letter of support for the renewal process, with all of our delegation … because we understand that here in Oregon that we are one of the top states for Medicare Advantage.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema held a virtual meeting with several of our Arizona CMC advocates, where she said, “I support Medicare Advantage because I know it’s the right choice for Arizonans and because so many people in Arizona choose this as their option for healthcare. I want you to know that I’ll continue my advocacy and always work to protect choices for seniors and strengthen the Medicare program so that it exists for future generations.”

After participating in a Silver Sneakers class with our New Jersey Coalition members, Rep. Josh Gottheimer shared, “Our seniors have given so much to this country and that’s why I will always get their backs. Ensuring they have easy access to great programs like Silver Sneakers — offered through Medicare Advantage at no extra cost — is an important part of helping North Jersey seniors stay healthy and active.

During a meeting with some of our Georgia Coalition members, Rep. Hank Johnson said, “I…definitely want to help you to keep your [Medicare Advantage] benefits with the over-the-counter products, with your transportation and to make sure deductibles for drugs and office visits don’t increase,” he explained.

Medicare Advantage provides seniors and those with disabilities better services, better access to care, and better value, which is why members of Congress continue to advocate for this essential program.

To hear what Medicare Advantage members are saying about this essential health coverage, visit our Stories page.