Speaker 1: Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 1: We have Darren Grubb here with us today and Darren
Speaker 1: is with mam. That is Medicare Advantage Majority. First of all,
Speaker 1: good morning.
Speaker 2: Sir, Good morning, how are you, Tom?
Speaker 1: And so? Tell us about your organization and tell us
Speaker 1: about the program itself and what our folks need to
Speaker 1: know about the program that they don't know already.
Speaker 2: Yeah, Medicare Advantage Majority. We are a non part of
Speaker 2: the non profit organization dedicated to protecting, in strengthening the
Speaker 2: Medicare Advantage Program, which serves over thirty four million seniors
Speaker 2: and people with disabilities around the country, you know, including
Speaker 2: sixty nune percent of Latino seniors and sixty five percent
Speaker 2: of Black seniors. In Oklahoma alone, there are more than
Speaker 2: three hundred and thirty eight thousand seniors in the Medicare
Speaker 2: Advantage Program, a good chunk of your population. And so
Speaker 2: you know, our coalition is powered by hundreds of thousand
Speaker 2: local advocates nationwide, including venice series and care givers and
Speaker 2: healthcare providers and communities leaders. Really the entire care giving
Speaker 2: ecosystem and the appeal of Medicare advantages that it delivers comprehensive,
Speaker 2: high quality and affordable care that goes beyond traditional fee
Speaker 2: for service Medicare, offering benefits like dental, vision, healing, in
Speaker 2: home care. Those are services that are not available on
Speaker 2: many of the traditional Medicare plans. And importantly, unlike traditional Medicare,
Speaker 2: Medicare Advantage provides prescription drug coverage and cats on out
Speaker 2: of pocket costs, which gives a senior's financial peace of mind,
Speaker 2: especially during the high cost inflationary times that we found
Speaker 2: ourselves and right now. So you know, it's an important program,
Speaker 2: you know, particularly for diverse and lower income populations, offering
Speaker 2: that reliable, low cost health care coverage.
Speaker 1: And we just came out of a major budget fight
Speaker 1: and Medicare Advantage was ultimately left untouched in reconciliation. What
Speaker 1: you read on the program as it stands after that process.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, we were encouraged the members of the
Speaker 2: House and Cents did not include language that would cut
Speaker 2: fung in for Medicare Advantage during the During the dudget negotiations,
Speaker 2: I'll say there several Senate members floated the idea of
Speaker 2: adding provisions in their version of the Senate side that
Speaker 2: would undermine critical elements of Medicare advantage and essentially cut funding.
Speaker 2: But over the last month, we saw seniors around the
Speaker 2: country make their voices heard, and our Dressroots Army was
Speaker 2: happy to stand with them and they helped to mobilize
Speaker 2: and ensure that it didn't happen. During that process, your
Speaker 2: seniors know that the custom Medicare advantagement, they could lose
Speaker 2: actives to those benefits that I mentioned, vision and hearing,
Speaker 2: transportation wellness programs, benefits that really allow seniors to age
Speaker 2: safely and independently. And bottom line, you know, our message
Speaker 2: to Congress was clear President Trump campaign on protective Medicare.
Speaker 2: Any proposal that undermines Medicare advantage has the potential to
Speaker 2: harm seniors and it goes against the will of voter
Speaker 2: since in the President's Republican majorities of Washington.
Speaker 1: Now it is cutting season in Washington, d C. And
Speaker 1: we know it's it's been on time so far. But
Speaker 1: we can appreciate all the needs to rein in government spending,
Speaker 1: of course, but are you a little bit worried that
Speaker 1: this posture could impact the Medicare advantage program in ongoing
Speaker 1: budget debates? And what's the history of Congressional or administration
Speaker 1: support for Medicare advantage.
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, despite really high satisfaction rates for beneficiaries
Speaker 2: around the country and pretty bipartisan supporting, and there has
Speaker 2: been effort there having efforts in the past several administrations
Speaker 2: to cut Medicare advantage, and that we totally understand that
Speaker 2: the fire in the many ways the need to cut
Speaker 2: cost of the federal government, but it cannot be done
Speaker 2: on the on the backs and at the expense of
Speaker 2: the healthcare that our seniors and their families rely on.
Speaker 2: John We recently did a serving seniors nationwide and we
Speaker 2: asked this question and the response was clear. A majority
Speaker 2: fifty three percent believe that the federal government should actually
Speaker 2: increase funding for Medicare advantage, not cut it. And sixty
Speaker 2: nine percent of seniors are less likely to vote for
Speaker 2: a member of Congress who supports cuts. And here's why
Speaker 2: the fundiness cut. Seniors are going to pay higher premiums,
Speaker 2: they're going to pay higher deductibles where they have higher
Speaker 2: out of pocket costs the boards of twenty five hundred
Speaker 2: dollars per year, and they're going to have less access
Speaker 2: to the doctors and the services they need. And again,
Speaker 2: in the time of high inflation, still trying to get
Speaker 2: that under control. Medicare advantages casts them out of pocket
Speaker 2: costs are important, especially for seniors on fixed incomes. And
Speaker 2: one more thing, the majority of seniors and roles of
Speaker 2: Medicare advantage have incomes under twenty five thousand dollars per year.
Speaker 2: And so we believe that seniors message of Congress is
Speaker 2: pretty clear.
Speaker 1: Now. The House Ways and Means, Health and Oversight Communities
Speaker 1: are holding a joint hearing a little bit later today
Speaker 1: on Medicare advantage. So, Darren, what should we be watching
Speaker 1: for and what's at stake at this moment?
Speaker 2: You know, I'll say you a couple of things. We
Speaker 2: will be watching for how members of Congress react to
Speaker 2: what they have heard from seniors over the past few weeks.
Speaker 2: You know, seniors are a critical voting block. In the
Speaker 2: presidential election of twenty twenty four, twenty years sorry, In
Speaker 2: the presidential election of twenty twenty four, seniors turned out
Speaker 2: at the highest rate of eligibility. Seventy five percent of
Speaker 2: seniors over age sixty five voted. That was the highest
Speaker 2: turnout of any demographic group. Very similar trains in the
Speaker 2: midterms in twenty twenty two. And so we know that
Speaker 2: seniors can decide elections. And again, if members of Congress
Speaker 2: are paying attention, they will have heard loud and clear
Speaker 2: from seniors who said, do not touch Medicare advantage because
Speaker 2: we rely on it, We've earned it. It's beneficially no
Speaker 2: only for us, that our families in the character who
Speaker 2: are taking care of them in these later years. And
Speaker 2: so we're going to stay in our front door.
Speaker 1: Now you're hearing a lot about the shortcomings in our
Speaker 1: healthcare system, especially when it comes to rural communities or
Speaker 1: people managing their chronic conditions. So Darren grow up with
Speaker 1: Medicare advantage. Majority, can you please tell us what role
Speaker 1: Medicare advantage will play in filling those gaps?
Speaker 2: Absolutely, and gaps is the keyword. And there are gaps
Speaker 2: in our healthcare system, particularly in our more rural and
Speaker 2: when those communities where healthcare has been under invested in
Speaker 2: for far too long. Quite frankly, I'm in Texas. Here
Speaker 2: in Oklahoma, there are a lot of rural communities that
Speaker 2: we need to be mindful of, and rural residents eligible
Speaker 2: for Medicare tend have lower incomes and higher rates of
Speaker 2: multiple chronic health conditions than those living in an urban
Speaker 2: or city center, and Medicare adventags can really help fill
Speaker 2: some of those care gaps through the comprehensive services that
Speaker 2: many traditional Medicare plans don't offer. Services like telehealth, prescription
Speaker 2: drug delivery, preventative care wellness plans. Those are things covering
Speaker 2: Medicare advantage that could be really benefficient to rural communities.
Speaker 1: Then, Darren, what can our listeners do to get more
Speaker 1: engaged on this issue?
Speaker 2: Let me start with this. Our mission is to ensure
Speaker 2: that seniors and caregivers and family members and others have
Speaker 2: a voice with policy makers in this debate going forward.
Speaker 2: The best way to do that is at the local level.
Speaker 2: As you will know, and so I id invet your
Speaker 2: listeners to go to our website www dot Medicare Advantage
Speaker 2: majority dot org to learn more about the Medicare Advantage program,
Speaker 2: to learn more about our organization, and to sign a
Speaker 2: letter to urge your members of Congress to protect strip
Speaker 2: from Medicare advantage. We had such an outcouring of support
Speaker 2: from seniors who were sending emails, writing letters, is making
Speaker 2: phone calls, showing up the town halls with their members
Speaker 2: to let them know that cutting Medicare advantage it should
Speaker 2: be off the table. It's bad policy and therefore it's
Speaker 2: bad politics. And we want to keep the Join Big
Speaker 2: going because we're mindful of standing up and standing with
Speaker 2: seniors going forward.
Speaker 1: All right, we've been speaking with Darren Grubb and he's
Speaker 1: with Medicare advantage majority. Darren, thank you.
Speaker 2: Thanks for having me on Wean's. You have a great day.