MA ALLIES LAUD SENATE SUPPORT — A group of 61 bipartisan senators is backing the Medicare Advantage program despite a lobbying campaign from opponents to steer clear, Robert reports. The effort comes as the Biden administration is expected to release next year’s payment rates in the coming weeks. While letters of support from lawmakers on policies or programs are routine on the Hill, this effort ran into opposition from several groups critical of Medicare Advantage. “The diversity of support behind this letter … reflects the success of Medicare Advantage,” said Mary Beth Donahue, CEO of the Better Medicare Alliance, which organized the letter. The letter calls for CMS to be more transparent on coverage options and take on “predatory and deceptive marketing practices.” It comes amid a sharp fight over advertising and spending in the program. A recent MedPAC report that BMA raised methodological concerns about found that the federal government is expected to pay MA plans $88 billion more this year than it should. The Center for Medicare Advocacy urged senators not to sign the letter due to “wasteful overpayments to [Medicare Advantage] plans.” The group Physicians for a National Health Program wrote to Senate staffers earlier this month calling for their bosses not to sign the BMA letter. The groups have been critical of tactics some plans have used to inflate government payments as well as aggressive marketing and care denials. TELEHEALTH TUMULT: A leading telemedicine lobbying group is raising concerns that a “potentially burdensome and disruptive gap in coverage” could result if HHS doesn’t prod Congress to act on virtual care. Congress has extended eased Medicare telehealth rules through the end of 2024. The Partnership to Advance Virtual Care, which counts among its members Teladoc, the Better Medicare Alliance and the Mayo Clinic, suggested HHS should have set a timeline by which Congress should act to avoid such disruptions. Why it matters: Lawmakers often wait until the 11th hour to come to deals on spending packages and legislation. If Congress waits until 2024’s final weeks to make expanded coverage permanent or extend it further, executive director Rachel Stauffer told Pulse, it could limit CMS’ ability to offer virtual care coverage, given when the agency has to set payment rates for doctors. The group called for President Joe Biden’s budget to include several proposals “to cement telehealth” as a key part of the health care system. “Including such proposals in the President’s Budget would send a clear signal to Congress that it must act,” Stauffer wrote in a letter to CMS. A CMS spokesperson said the agency “is committed to ensuring people with Medicare have access to the quality care they need and deserve” and wants to promote telehealth.
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