FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Friday, March 9, 2007
CONTACT: Yoni Cohen, (202) 225-3202

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Representative Pete Stark (CA-13), Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, issued the following statement in response to recent press releases and public statements about so-called “Medicare Advantage” plans.

“I am disappointed that some members of our committee have chosen to release the political positions of lobbyists for the managed care industry as accurate data.

“Press statements were generated from data created by a lobbying group that has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Members of Congress and has a vested interest in protecting the status quo in Medicare reimbursements.
 
“This propaganda has been distributed as fact despite the reality that every independent analysis done on Medicare Advantage payment rates finds that taxpayers overpay private plans by an average of 12%. MedPAC, the Inspector General of Health and Human Services, and the independent Commonwealth Fund performed these analyses. These are our only sources of non-biased, independent data.
 
“In October, leaders of the Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Oversight and Government Reform Committees asked CMS to provide additional data on Medicare Advantage plans so that we could go further than these analyses and determine how Medicare Advantage plans are spending Medicare’s payments. CMS failed to provide the data, ignored a subsequent request, and continues to refuse to provide the necessary information to us.”
 
“It is irresponsible to ask Members of Congress to react to lobbying propaganda while at the same time HHS refuses to turn over the data needed by taxpayers, beneficiaries and providers to make informed decisions about the future of the ‘Medicare Advantage’ program.
 
“I ask all Members of the Committee on Ways and Means to join together to seek factual information on Medicare payments, put aside ideology as much as possible, and work to make reasoned decisions as to how we can move forward to meet our budgetary requirements and make the best decisions on payment changes for Medicare beneficiaries.”