In a Push to Improve Medicare Advantage, Senator Hassan Shares Real Experiences of Granite Staters

WASHINGTON – During a Senate Finance Committee hearing today, Senator Maggie Hassan shared the experiences of Granite Staters who had issues with their Medicare Advantage plans.

To watch Senator Hassan’s hearing questions, click here.

Senator Hassan began by stating how important Medicare Advantage plans are for individuals on Medicare who are looking for more comprehensive benefits such as prescription drug coverage, vision, hearing, and dental benefits.

“It’s essential that we preserve this option for seniors, but we also need to ensure that plans are fairly and accurately representing their benefits,” said Senator Hassan. “I have unfortunately heard too many concerns from constituents with Medicare Advantage plans who are unable to afford the medications that their doctors prescribe. While Medicare Advantage plans often advertise comprehensive benefits, many people are not explicitly told… by marketing agents that their plans do not include prescription medication benefits.”

Senator Hassan then recounted how her office heard from a constituent in North Conway whose Medicare Advantage plan scaled back her prescription drug coverage.

“She uses several medications to treat her autoimmune disease, two of which were originally covered as preferred, tier 1 drugs under her plan, with a low copay,” said Senator Hassan. “However, the plan partially stopped covering the medications a few months later – after she had already signed up – which added to her financial… burden. And she previously had a different Medicare Advantage plan that repeatedly denied her coverage for a third medication that she has relied on for more than a decade to manage her autoimmune disease, forcing her to rely on samples provided by her physician.”

Senator Hassan went on to share the experience of a constituent in Bedford’s son.

“This constituent cares for her 26-year-old son who has a developmental disability and is eligible for Medicare,” said Senator Hassan. “Her son was on traditional Medicare, but a Medicare Advantage marketing agent called his cell phone and got him to agree to switch his insurance. This company took advantage of him during a five-minute conversation, leaving him with a plan that would not fully cover his health care needs. The good news is that his family found out about it the same day and was able to undo the changes just in time.”

The Senator noted that there is “nothing stopping… this kind of unscrupulous marketing for these plans, and nothing stopping them from targeting the most vulnerable patients, who may not have the resources that they need to navigate this kind of conversation.”

Senator Hassan’s push is part of her ongoing efforts to lower health care and prescription drug costs for Americans. Senator Hassan recently introduced a bipartisan bill to prevent hospital systems from charging hospital facility fees for care received at outpatient facilities located away from the hospital. Senator Hassan led successful bipartisan efforts to help eliminate surprise medical billing, which has prevented at least 9 million surprise bills. Last year’s government funding bill, which is now law, also included three bipartisan measures backed by Senator Hassan to increase access to generic and biosimilar medications. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act included a number of key provisions that Senator Hassan pushed for to take on Big Pharma and address the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs, including allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices – which will bring down the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries and help drive down prices across the board.

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