Wilson Opposes U.S. House Plan to Cut Medicare Advantage
Albuquerque, NM - Congresswoman Heather Wilson told Albuquerque seniors today that she's working in Congress to protect a program that provides the primary healthcare for 55,000 New Mexico seniors. Wilson served up lunch today at the Rio Bravo Meal Site in Albuquerque's South Valley and told seniors she's concerned about legislation in Congress that severely cuts funding to popular health plans in New Mexico.
At issue is a House bill that would move funding from the Medicare Advantage program to a children's health insurance program. Wilson supports the State Children's Health Insurance program (SCHIP) but says increased financing SCHIP shouldn't come at the expense of the Medicare Advantage program, which is widely used by seniors in New Mexico.
Wilson supports a Senate-version of the children's health insurance bill, also supported by Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman. The Senate bill increased funding for children's health insurance, but does not do it at the expense of senior healthcare. Just before the August break, Wilson introduced the identical Senate bill in the House as H.R. 3269 to reauthorize the successful SCHIP program for five years, enroll more eligible children, and protect investments in Medicare. That bipartisan compromise already passed by a 17-4 vote in the Senate Finance Committee, and is being considered by the Senate this week.
Wilson says that in her district alone there are about 35,000 seniors who rely on Medicare Advantage plans for access to health benefits and lower costs that are not available in traditional Medicare. Wilson says Medicare Advantage enrollees amount to nearly 40% of all seniors on Medicare in her district. State-wide nearly 60,000 seniors opt for the Medicare Advantage program rather than Original Medicare. The program also serves a significant number of low-income beneficiaries. Presbyterian Senior Care plan, one of the largest New Mexico plans, serves 18,000 seniors in the 1st District. Of those, 2,158 qualify for low-income subsidies.
"There are several New Mexico Medicare Advantage plans like Presbyterian Senior Care, Lovelace Senior Plan, Blue Medicare PPO from BlueCross BlueShield, and the Humana Gold Choice plans. These programs will be forced to drop seniors from coverage or will have to pull out of the Medicare market altogether," warns Wilson. "They may have to reduce benefits, or pay providers less causing seniors to lose access to the doctors they have now."
"I voted against this legislation because it cuts benefits for seniors in New Mexico to pay for children's health care for families making up to $60,000 to $80,000 per year," Wilson said. "I am extremely disappointed that the House Democrat leadership has targeted 35,000 seniors in my district to eliminate the good health coverage they have now."
In addition to an annual $54 million in cuts to senior benefits in Medicare Advantage in the First District of New Mexico, the legislation Wilson opposed would reduce oxygen benefits for seniors in Medicare, create more barriers to seniors and the disabled needing power wheelchairs, reduce payments for drugs and services for people needing dialysis, potentially close the Heart Hospital of New Mexico and similar specialty hospitals, and it includes earmarks in 18 Democrat districts.
Wilson's alternate bill prevents the cut to Medicare Advantage, and invests an additional $35 billion over five years in the children's health insurance program, financed by an assessment on tobacco products.
"We don't have to choose between health coverage for seniors and continuing the successful SCHIP program. That's a devil's choice. The House should have scrapped this bill for a bipartisan SCHIP alternative, like the bill I introduced that passed the Senate Finance Committee by a vote of 17-4," Wilson said.
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