The nation’s health insurance companies say legislation wending its way through the … More
The nation’s health insurance companies say legislation wending its way through the Republican-controlled Congress would break a promise by President Donald Trump and the GOP not to cut Medicare benefits to seniors.
It’s the latest part of the healthcare industry to fight back against proposed federal cuts in healthcare benefits to millions of Americans. Already, physicians led by the American Medical Association have launched an ad campaign targeting U.S. senators in an effort to thwart the budget legislation.
Legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which narrowly passed the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives in late May, would reduce federal Medicaid spending by $793 billion and increase the number of uninsured by 7.8 million, a KFF analysis shows.
But the powerful lobby, America’s Health Insurance Plans, said Medicare would also be cut and raise costs on millions of seniors. AHIP’s members include some of the nation’s largest health insurers, including Elevance Health, Humana, CVS Health’s Aetna and an array of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans including Health Care Service Corp. and Florida Blue.
These health insurers, including UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare, provide health benefits to more than half of the nation’s eligible seniors through privatized coverage known as Medicare Advantage. The plans contract with the federal government to provide coverage available in traditional Medicare plus extra benefits and services to seniors, such as disease management and nurse help hotlines with some also offering vision, dental care and wellness programs.
“The President and Congressional leaders made a clear promise to seniors that there would be no cuts to Medicare as part of the budget reconciliation legislation,” AHIP President and CEO Mike Tuffin said Monday.
In March, for example, Trump and the White House put out a blunt statement saying the administration “will not cut Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits. President Trump himself has said it (over and over and over again).”
But health insurers say a move is afoot in Congress to slash spending on Medicare Advantage.
“Last-minute attempts to cut Medicare Advantage to fund other priorities would directly undermine that promise and lead to higher costs and reductions in benefits for more than 34 million seniors,” Tuffin said. “We oppose cuts to Medicare Advantage, including the No UPCODE Act, and urge Congress to keep the promise to America’s seniors.”
Any loss in health plan members covered by Medicare Advantage would be an added blow to health insurers. They need large numbers of subscribers paying premiums to cover their costs.
Many of these same health insurers have been hit hard by rising costs from an influx of seniors purchasing Medicare Advantage.
