The Obama Administration announced late Friday afternoon that Medicare Advantage payment rates will be cut by 3.55 percent in 2015.
About 15.9 million seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. Next year, for the first time since 2004, Medicare Advantage enrollment is expected to actually decline. This is because the cuts will force insurers to pass on the higher costs to seniors or cut benefits if their rates are reduced, with some plans dropping out of the program altogether.
Kay Hagan, Mark Udall, Mary Landrieu, Mark Pryor, and Mark Warner all voted against an amendment in 2010 that would have prevented these same cuts to Medicare Advantage under ObamaCare. Here is how many seniors were adversely affected in each state thanks to these senators’ votes:
North Carolina (Hagan) – 477,482
Colorado (Udall) – 266,475
Louisiana (Landrieu) – 214,265
Virginia (Warner) – 202,246
Arkansas (Pryor) – 109,650