Cloudy skies with showers and a possible thunderstorm this afternoon. High 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Localized flooding is possible..
Tonight
Cloudy skies. Low near 65F. Winds light and variable.
As a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates and a public school teacher, I’m keenly aware of the need to help support our retirees as they transition from their careers to their golden years. In West Virginia, more than 50% of eligible Medicare seniors have chosen a Medicare Advantage plan.
Most retired state employees, as well as retirees coming from public and higher education, who are Medicare eligible access the high-quality, affordable health coverage that they need to help make that transition a smooth one through Medicare Advantage plans provided by the West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA).
Medicare Advantage provides an array of benefits, often mirroring the kinds of plans retirees are used to receiving through employer-sponsored coverage. Compared to “original†fee-for-service Medicare, the benefits and services covered by Medicare Advantage cover a wider range of health care needs. Many of these benefits are designed to provide those covered with healthy opportunities, such as SilverSneakers, offerings.
Additionally, with greater flexibility, seniors and patients with disabilities enrolled in Medicare Advantage can make changes to their covered benefits as needed, ensuring they aren’t locked into a one-size-fits-all plan. That includes offerings not covered by traditional Medicare, like vision, dental and hearing benefits, as well as comprehensive prescription drug coverage that helps keep costs low and stable at the pharmacy — all with no additional premiums for retirees to worry about.
The cost savings that enrollees benefit from through Medicare Advantage’s capped out-of-pocket expenses are also particularly attractive for new retirees learning to live on fixed incomes. These protections, along with low monthly premiums that just keep dropping year after year, have made Medicare Advantage the preferred program for more than half of the entire Medicare population countrywide.
That’s over 34 million retirees, seniors, and patients with disabilities who count on the coverage they get from Medicare Advantage plans. Maintaining support for this program is critical if lawmakers in Washington want to ensure continued health care access and affordability for this growing, medically vulnerable segment of the U.S. population.
To do that, our congressional delegation in Washington should help ensure Medicare Advantage doesn’t end up on the chopping block. While there might be plenty of government programs that waste resources and taxpayer dollars, Medicare Advantage is one that leverages public-private partnerships to deliver value for patients, their network of family members and caregivers and communities nationwide.
Unfortunately, Medicare Advantage hasn’t always received the support it deserves from federal lawmakers, particularly during the previous administration. Under the Biden administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage was targeted with years of consecutive funding cuts that jeopardized the benefits and cost savings the program offers retirees.
Republicans in Washington have a tremendous opportunity to lead on protecting and strengthening Medicare Advantage, to protect the tens of millions of Americans it serves. West Virginia’s congressional delegation should help make the most of this opportunity and fight to preserve a strong Medicare Advantage program that looks out for our retirees and strengthens senior health care.
Andy Shamblin, R-Kanawha, represents the 59th District in the West Virginia House of Delegates.
