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We should not use America's seniors as pawns in a political game. But this is exactly what could happen now in the last days President Biden's administration.
President Biden has made many claims over the years that Republicans are the party that supposedly wants to cut Medicare. President Biden needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror. In fact, it's the Biden administration that has spent the past two years quietly working on one of the most popular health care programs for our seniors: Medicare Advantage. And now, apparently dissatisfied with the damage they've already done, the Biden team appears to be trying to squeeze another cut on its way out the door.
Medicare Advantage It shows how choice and competition can achieve better outcomes at lower costs for seniors and taxpayers. Nearly 35 million older Americans, more than half of all Medicare beneficiaries, choose Medicare Advantage for their health coverage instead of a traditional government-run Medicare plan. Medicare Advantage plans are offered and managed by private health insurance companies that contract with Medicare. Their popularity has boomed over the years because they offer better value at a lower cost for seniors. Additional benefits under Medicare Advantage plans such as dental and vision care, improved access to preventive care, and improved health outcomes have helped establish their value among America's seniors.
However, despite the popularity of Medicare Advantage, the Biden administration seems intent on undermining it, putting partisan ideology before the well-being of seniors. Over the past two years, the administration has implemented a series of changes that effectively cut funding for the Medicare Advantage program. These cuts are disguised as “payment adjustments,” but the truth is clear: they reduce funding for a program that seniors overwhelmingly support. Results? Higher premiums, reduced benefits, and narrower provider networks for many Medicare Advantage enrollees.
Now, it appears the Biden administration may be trying to sneak another cut to Medicare Advantage on its way out the door. Two days before Thanksgiving, notice was quietly given to Office of Management and Budget It shows the administration has begun a regulatory review of Medicare Advantage rates for 2026. The risk is clear: Moving this rate review too far down the regulatory tracks during the Biden administration's lame-duck period means the incoming Trump team will have little time to dismantle the process. According to federal law, the last day for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to issue advance notice of 2026 Medicare Advantage price changes is the first week of February 2025 — just a few weeks after President Trump's inauguration.
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Between the complexity of the payment modernization process and a deadline that will come shortly after the inauguration, the incoming Trump administration has a very short window of opportunity to stop another Biden-approved cut to Medicare Advantage — cuts that President Trump called for during the campaign and promised would end. .
The Biden administration needs to stop dropping the ball and abandon its efforts to obstruct the incoming Trump administration. The bureaucrats at CMS should be called out and stopped from advancing yet another proposed cut to Medicare Advantage that hurts older Americans.
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Medicare Advantage could be improved. Republicans have called for implementing a competitive bidding process that would harness competition to reduce costs for seniors and taxpayers. Members in both parties have called for reform in calculating risk adjustments, to improve a system that can be gamed and often rewards companies for documenting patient accuracy rather than actually improving outcomes. But the left doesn't want to get better Medicare Advantage – They want to undermine the program to achieve their long-term goal of centralizing more health care under government control.
It's not just about medical care – it's about trust. Seniors depend on Medicare Advantage not only for medical care but also for peace of mind. They need to know that their coverage is secure and will not be subject to political gamesmanship. President Trump understands this, which is why his first administration worked to protect and expand the program. Republicans realize that seniors deserve choice, competition, and care that meets their needs – not bureaucratic interference.
