Ann Kirkpatrick Raids Medicare Advantage to Pay for ObamaCare

February 19, 2014

Seniors in Arizona Will Start to Feel the Pain

WASHINGTON  President Obama and Ann Kirkpatrick have a harsh new message for seniors: forget your current coverage. With billions of Medicare Advantage dollars being siphoned away from seniors to pay for ObamaCare, beneficiaries across the country will soon open their mailboxes only to find they won’t be able to keep their plan as promised.  The Obama administration is expected to announce the 2015 rates for the popular alternative to government health insurance on Feb. 21 and seniors are bracing for expected cuts in plans, benefits, and doctors.

President Obama’s signature health care law will gut funding for Medicare Advantage by $156 billion over the next 10 years. Kirkpatrick helped cause these ruinous cuts by supporting ObamaCare. Because of her irresponsible actions, Arizona seniors will feel the pain, facing higher healthcare costs, reduced benefits, and fewer choices in their insurance coverage.

“It’s clear ObamaCare is wreaking havoc on seniors’ healthcare. Ann Kirkpatrick should admit to Arizona seniors that she has broken yet another promise to them,” said NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek. “Kirkpatrick’s unwavering support for ObamaCare has robbed seniors of their current coverage. She should be ashamed.”

ObamaCare Cuts Medicare Advantage By $156 Billion, According To The Nonpartisan CBO. (Congressional Budget Office, 7/24/12)

Kaiser Family Foundation: 5 Percent of Enrollees Will Be Forced To Change Their Plan; Others Will Face Higher Premiums. “‘About 526,000 of current 2013 Medicare Advantage enrollees (5%) will have to make some change because their plan is not available in 2014… Enrollees who stay with their current plan (if available) will find that, on average, their premiums will increase by almost $5, from $35 to $39.’” (New Report Shows Medicare Advantage Payment Cuts Disrupting Seniors’ Coverage, AHIP, 11/26/13)

Those Enrolled In Medicare Advantage Will See Fewer Plans And May Lose Their Doctor. “Benefits experts say patients are seeing fewer plan choices this year, and more are losing doctors from their insurance coverage networks.” (Tom Murphy, “4 Keys To Scrutinizing Medicare Advantage Cuts,” Associated Press, 11/15/13)

There Will Be 142 Fewer Medicare Advantage Plans This Year. “This open season also will have 142 fewer Medicare Advantage plans, the private plans that are an alternative to traditional Medicare fee-for-service coverage, the Avalere study found.” (Susan Jaffe, “Medicare Open Enrollment Brings Changes,” USA Today, 10/21/13)

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: Ron Barber (AZ-02), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), Ami Bera (CA-07), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Joe Garcia (FL-26), John Barrow (GA-12), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11), Bill Enyart (IL-12), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), John Tierney (MA-06), Tim Walz (MN-01), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Rick Nolan (MN-08), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Steve Israel (NY-03), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Pete Gallego (TX-23), and Nick Rahall (WV-03).