This Week in Washington: Treasury Finalizes “Family-Glitch” Fix
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Progressive Caucus Members Announce Bill to Rename Medicare Advantage
Two members of the House Progressive Caucus announced they will introduce legislation that would change the name of Medicare Advantage (MA) in order to make clear that MA plans are offered by private insurers. They believe that seniors may be misled into enrolling into MA plans.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), a former chair of the caucus, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). In addition to changing the name of the program, the legislation would impose financial penalties on private insurers using the term “Medicare” in plan names.
The bill comes as the issue of how best to strengthen Medicare is already shaping up to be a midterm election issue. The administration has been promoting the Medicare drug-price controls included in the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act as a major effort to strengthen the program, while Republican lawmakers blast the IRA provisions as anti-competitive.
A majority of Medicare beneficiaries are projected to be enrolled in Medicare Advantage by next year.
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The Senate is in recess and will return Nov. 14.
Read more on healthcare policy in McGuireWoods Consulting’s Washington Healthcare Update.