POLITICO reports that “AHIP — which represents the nation’s leading health insurers — plans to tout the benefits of Medicare Advantage over traditional fee-for-service Medicare through new digital advertising, a social media campaign, and encouraging older Americans to head to their district offices to buttonhole representatives.”
The bottom line: “The campaign will convey a simple message: Medicare Advantage gives seniors better health care at lower costs, and should be protected. ‘We're going to be doing everything we can to make sure that policymakers across the political spectrum can be introduced to these seniors and hear their stories and learn firsthand how passionately Medicare Advantage beneficiaries feel about their coverage,’ AHIP CEO Mike Tuffin said in an interview with POLITICO.”
Why it matters: “About 33 million people are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, accounting for more than half of the eligible Medicare population. Most Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits not included in traditional Medicare, such as coverage for dental or vision services … ‘Seniors have been promised by elected officials in both parties that their Medicare coverage and care would not be cut,’ Tuffin said. ‘And so our advertising is about reminding elected officials that this is a big constituency that really likes their Medicare Advantage coverage and expects that promise to be kept.’”
Go deeper: Read POLITICO’s full report.