AHIP Statement on House Passage of H.R. 6331

WASHINGTON, June 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Karen Ignagni, President and
CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), today issued the following
statement in response to the U.S. House of Representatives passage of H.R.
6331:

"Congress today rushed through legislation that would require Medicare
Advantage beneficiaries to pay for the increase in physician payments without
considering the impact these cuts would have on vulnerable seniors. As
seniors learn the details of this hastily passed legislation, they will be
shocked to learn they could face fewer choices, reduced benefits, and higher
out-of-pocket costs if these cuts become law."

Ignagni noted that more than 10 million Medicare beneficiaries currently rely
on Medicare Advantage to meet their health care needs. This bill includes
three separate provisions that would achieve an estimated $13.8 billion in
budget savings over the next five years at the expense of Medicare Advantage
enrollees. These cuts represent 94 percent of the bill's overall direct budget
cuts not including interactions, and 73 percent of the budget cuts if
interactions are counted.

Moreover, a recent survey found that most seniors -- regardless of whether
they are enrolled in traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage -- oppose
cutting the Medicare Advantage program and believe these cuts will have a
negative effect on seniors. Key findings from the survey include:

-- By a 3-to-1 ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a 6-to-1
ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, seniors oppose cutting
Medicare Advantage instead of cutting payments for doctors who treat
Medicare patients.

-- By a 4-to-1 ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a 5-to-1
ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, most seniors believe cuts to
the Medicare Advantage program will have a negative impact on seniors
in
Medicare health plans.

-- By more than a 5-to-1 ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a
13-to-1 ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, seniors prefer
cutting
other programs besides Medicare Advantage or raising taxes to offset
the
spending needed to stop a scheduled cut in physician payments.

-- An overwhelming majority of seniors enrolled in traditional Medicare
(89
percent) and Medicare Advantage (88 percent) are satisfied with their
coverage.

Click here to learn more about this survey:
http://www.ahip.org/Content/Members/pressrelease.aspx?docid=23678.

America's Health Insurance Plans - Providing Health Benefits to More Than 200
Million Americans

SOURCE America's Health Insurance Plans

Robert Zirkelbach of America's Health Insurance Plans, +1-202-778-8493