Medicare is extremely popular, but it needs attention to ensure all beneficiaries receive comprehensive coverage and equitable treatment. The Medicare program that Americans know and cherish has been allowed to wither. Traditional Medicare, preferred by most beneficiaries, has not been improved in years, yet private Medicare Advantage plans have been repeatedly bolstered. It’s time to build a better Medicare for all those who rely on it now, and will in the future.
Here’s how:
- Mandate parity between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage – in ease of enrollment, coverage, and allocated resources
- Add an annual out-of-pocket cap to traditional Medicare
- Reduce drug prices by negotiating on behalf of all 62+ million Medicare beneficiaries
- Use the savings gained from negotiating drug prices to improve Medicare (as in HR 3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, passed by the House on 12/12/2019)
- Increase traditional Medicare coverage, including for oral health, vision, and audiology services
- Improve access to Medigap plans so people with pre-existing conditions are not locked out
- Add an out-of-pocket cap on Part D expenses and strengthen low-income assistance
Improve and support Medicare for all beneficiaries.
Don’t accept anything less than the improvements included in HR 3.