Health care is one of the most critical issues facing seniors and rural communities across the state. That’s why I recently traveled to our nation’s capital to sit down with staff members from the Alabama Congressional Delegation to talk about the need to keep Medicare Advantage strong now and for years to come.
Unfortunately, that won’t be possible if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to underfund the program. The agency’s announcement that it intends to increase payments to Medicare Advantage plans by just 0.09% next year is a slap in the face to the tens of millions of seniors and patients with disabilities that rely on it.
Data and projections from the past two years shows health care costs rising by around 7%. That’s according to the CMS itself. If those are the realities in our health care system, then they need to be reflected in health care policy. The fact that the CMS’ update is so far below where it needs to be to even keep up with the cost of care would almost be laughable if the consequences weren’t so worrisome for our seniors.
Unless the CMS significantly increases its proposed rate increase for Medicare Advantage in 2027, it’s going to end up feeling like a cut to the program—one that seniors feel first and hardest. It’s just not possible to expect the program to continue to deliver the same quality and scope of care if funding levels aren’t keeping up with costs.
We’ve been down this road before, so we know what happens when this program isn’t funded properly. Years of consecutive cuts under the previous administration resulted in weaker benefits, fewer options, and higher premiums for beneficiaries. That’s no way to ensure the long-term success of a program that has been growing year over year since its inception.
This is a deeply personal issue for me and anyone with loved ones who get their health care coverage through Medicare Advantage. I have family members that are enrolled in the program and, like most beneficiaries, they’re perfectly happy with their plans. They don’t want to see their care be put at risk because some number crunchers in Washington are trying to cut costs.
Polling from 2025 found that 85% of enrollees are satisfied with their Medicare Advantage plan. More than 9 in 10 seniors also agreed that this is just as much a cost-of-living issue as it is a health care one. And three-quarters of them said they’d be less likely to support a member of Congress who supported making cuts to the program.
That should catch the attention of lawmakers looking to hold onto, or recapture, their majorities in Congress. Seniors are paying close attention to who’s just talking the talk on health care and who’s actually walking the walk. They’re one of the most powerful voting groups in our country, and they will make their voices heard on Election Day.
That’s why supporting Medicare Advantage isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the politically savvy move right now. Hopefully Senators Britt and Tuberville, along with members of our House delegation will get the message and work with CMS to improve the proposed rate increase for next year before anything is set in stone.
Brett Scullen is a former hospital executive at multiple hospitals across Alabama and the Southeast