Lawmakers should not reduce funds for Medicare Advantage program

While Congress has some tough budget choices to make, lawmakers must realize that Medicare Advantage funding cuts would not only disrupt care for beneficiaries, but leave Medicare woefully unprepared to manage the care for millions of people with multiple chronic conditions," Scott Serota, president and CEO of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

According to Serota, MA plans "provide high-quality, affordable coverage" that is "structured to focus on prevention and care coordination."

About 82% of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one chronic condition, and 65% have multiple chronic conditions, he writes.

In addition, according to Serota, because MA plans "compete on quality, price, benefits and health outcomes," health insurers must develop "innovative programs to continually improve quality and health outcomes."

He writes, "What often gets lost in the numbers is the personal impact on Medicare beneficiaries, who largely live on fixed incomes, worry a great deal about their health care and need security and predictability," adding, "We must protect the stability" of MA plans (Serota, Wall Street Journal, 4/2).