BREAKING: Alex Sink’s New Medicare Advantage Cuts Will Hurt Seniors

February 21, 2014

New 2015 Rates Show Cost Of Sink’s Strident ObamaCare Support

WASHINGTON – Just a few minutes ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its proposed 2015 payment rates for Medicare Advantage and the numbers were startling. CMS proposed a 3.55% cut in Medicare Advantage payments to providers next year. These cuts will have a real effect on seniors in Florida. Many could now lose coverage or the doctors they’ve counted on.

Those seniors can thank Alex Sink for losing what they’ve relied on for years. Sink and her Democrat allies have continued to stand by ObamaCare while the law guts Medicare and leaves seniors out in the cold. Democrats told seniors if they liked their plans, they could keep them. Today’s rates are just the latest reminder of their broken promises.

“Today’s report shows the true cost of Alex Sink’s support of ObamaCare,” said NRCC Communications Director Andrea Bozek. “Democrats made promise after promise that they knew they couldn’t keep. Now they’re leaving Florida seniors to deal with the consequences.”

CMS Proposes 2015 Payment And Policy Updates For Medicare Health And Drug Plans (CMS Press Release, 2/21/14)

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: Ann Kirkpatrick, (AZ-01), Ron Barber (AZ-02), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09), Ami Bera (CA-07), Amanda Renteria (CA-21), Pete Aguilar (CA-31), Raul Ruiz (CA-36), Scott Peters (CA-52), Andrew Romanoff (CO-06), Elizabeth Esty (CT-05), Gwen Graham (FL-02), Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Joe Garcia (FL-26), John Barrow (GA-12), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Bill Foster (IL-11), Bill Enyart (IL-12), Ann Callis (IL-13), George Gollin (IL-13), Cheri Bustos (IL-17), Dave Loebsack (IA-02), Staci Appel (IA-03), John Tierney (MA-06), Jerry Cannon (MI-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Rick Nolan (MN-08), John Lewis (MT-AL), Carol Shea-Porter (NH-01), Ann McLane Kuster (NH-02), Erin Bilbray (NV-03), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Steve Israel (NY-03), Domenic Recchia (NY-11), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Sean Eldridge (NY-19), Martha Robertson (NY-23), Dan Maffei (NY-24), Bill Hughes, Jr. (NJ-02), Aimee Belgard (NJ-03), Jennifer Garrison (OH-06), Kevin Strouse (PA-08), Shaughnessy Naughton (PA-08), Pete Gallego (TX-23), and Nick Rahall (WV-03).