WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Alex X. Mooney signed on to a letter with 342 other bipartisan Members of Congress to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to express support for the Medicare Advantage program. Medicare Advantage will continue to provide the affordable, high-quality, patient-centered coverage West Virginians rely on every day. This program currently has 27 million older adults and the disabled enrolled and will grow to 30 million by the end of 2022.
“Medicare Advantage is an important program for Medicare beneficiaries in my district. I recognize that during the COVID-19 crisis, Medicare Advantage supported some of the most at-risk people and continues to work to lower hospitalization rates compared to the original Medicare,” said Congressman Mooney. “Protecting my constituents and ensuring Medicare Advantage stability is important to me and the lives of so many Americans.”
In addition to stable rates, the Medicare Advantage program additionally offers tele-health, which allows West Virginians to video call into their doctor’s appointment instead of attending in person, if that better suits their needs.
Background:
The Medicare Advantage program allows Medicare-eligible patients to choose individually tailored insurance plans operated by private companies to supplement traditional Medicare services. Medicare Advantage plans specifically give beneficiaries access to traditional Medicare benefits like hospital care or prescription drug benefits offered by Part D plans with the addition of dental, vision, and hearing care to name a few supplemental services. Nationally, this program has experienced substantial growth over the past several years, including a 9 percent growth between 2019 and 2020.