Blackburn, Warner Reintroduce Bill to Increase Transparency of Medicare Advantage Benefits for Seniors

"Transparency in Medicare Advantage plans is long overdue," said Senator Blackburn. "The Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Transparency Act would ensure beneficiaries receive the full value they've been promised by requiring plans to publicly report the supplemental benefits they offer and how often seniors actually use them."

"We need clear and accessible data in order to properly evaluate the effectiveness of the Medicare Advantage program," said Senator Warner."This legislation will make sure we can ensure the sustainability of Medicare and better evaluate plans, so seniors have the best coverage for their needs."

BACKGROUND

• In recent years, the use of Medicare Advantage has skyrocketed, with more than half of eligible beneficiaries nationwide choosing to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. However, there is currently no statutory requirement to specifically report on supplemental benefits, making data on available benefits and their utilization unreliable. Senator Blackburn's legislation would ensure this information is available to understand beneficiary use of supplemental benefits and their impact on the sustainability of the Medicare program.

MEDICARE ADVANTAGE SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS TRANSPARENCY ACT

• Specifically, the legislation would require Medicare Advantage plans to report enrollee-level data on supplemental benefits to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as report eligibility for benefits, the types of benefit categories offered, and data on utilization of and payments for such benefits. There is currently no statutory requirement to specifically report on supplemental benefits, making data on available benefits and their utilization unreliable.

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