Courier-Journal
Op-ed
Michael McAllister's op-ed "Pitting kids against seniors" is fearmongering at its most shameless. The CHAMP Act, just passed by the U.S. House, would help both kids and seniors by preserving their access to health care.
The legislation renews health insurance for children in low-income families and preserves seniors' access to care by stopping steep Medicare cuts to doctors. To help pay for these two important health care priorities, Congress will level the playing field between payments to private insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans and traditional Medicare.
Right now, the government is providing the insurance industry with a $65 billion subsidy, and the cost of this overpayment to Medicare private health plans is borne by all taxpayers. All Kentucky Medicare patients are paying about $25 a year in their premium just to cover the overpayments to private health plans, but only 11 percent of the state's Medicare patients are actually enrolled in these plans.
While McAllister crows to Wall Street analysts that Humana's second-quarter was "probably the best quarter we've had" — in part due to a whopping 33 percent increase in its second-quarter Medicare Advantage business — physicians caring for Medicare patients face a 10 percent cut in Medicare payments next year. We believe Congress has its priorities in the right place by passing CHAMP, as do the AARP and other advocates for patients.
Edward Langston, MD
Board Chair, American Medical Association
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