The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health holds a hearing on the current status of the Medicare Advantage program.
More than 13.5 million beneficiaries use Medicare Advantage plans, which are offered by private companies who contract with Medicare to provide Part A and B benefits.
According to the subcommittee, the Congressional Budget Office has predicted that the Affordable Care Act will cut $308 billion from the program over the next 10 years. Medicare Trustees predict that enrollment in Medicare Advantage will drop by half by 2017, as compared to prior law.
Witnesses included: Government Accountability Office Director of Health Care James Cosgrove, Ethics and Public Policy Center Fellow James Capretta, America's Health Insurance Plans President and CEO Karen Ignagni, SCAN Health Plan Chief Medical Officer Tim Schwab, Medical Associates Clinic and Health Plans CEO John Tallent and Mathematica Policy Research Senior Fellow Marsha Gold.
Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) chaired the hearing.