Cornyn Highlights New Data Revealing Cost Increases for Seniors with Medicare Advantage

Statement

Shortly after the nation's chief Medicare actuary released data revealing that President Obama's health care overhaul will result in increased out-of-pocket costs for seniors in Medicare Advantage plans, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) today issued the following statement:

"This new evidence from the Obama Administration's own actuary is the latest confirmation that Washington's health care takeover is not the "change' seniors want. Democrats spent seniors' Medicare dollars on a brand new $2.6 trillion entitlement, and now they owe an explanation to the more than 11 million Medicare Advantage patients whose costs are going up and whose choices are being taken away."

The latest data on Medicare Advantage costs was released in a letter via Richard Foster, the nonpartisan actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), in response to a request from several Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee. In the report, the CMS actuary states that costs will go up by hundreds of dollars on the average in the coming years for seniors currently enrolled in Medicare Advantage, specifically $346 in 2011 to a high of $923 in 2017.

Source