Medicare Advantage Archives

What’s Behind the Medicare Part B Premium Spike?

The nearly 67 million Americans who depend on Medicare will ring in the new year with an unwelcome cost increase. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that Part B premiums will rise to $203 per month from $185 in 2025. That $18 (or 10%) increase will consume about one-third of the average Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). “The average COLA will be $56 per month before the $18 Medicare Part B premium hike, leaving the average Social Security beneficiary with an effective monthly increase of $36 next year” noted our President and CEO Max Richtman in a news release.

Lucas Kaplan2025-11-19T14:24:06-04:00November 19th, 2025|Categories: COLAs, Congress, Max Richtman, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, seniors, Social Insurance, Social Security|

Open Enrollment Season Begins at a Fraught Time for Medicare

This year's Medicare open enrollment season, which began on October 15, comes at a concerning time for the program. There are

NCPSSM2025-10-17T15:44:30-04:00October 17th, 2025|Categories: Medicare, Medicare Advantage|

Medicare Turned 60! Here’s Why We Can’t Simply Celebrate

Medicare turns 60 years old today. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed it into law on July 30, 1965, giving seniors a guarantee of health coverage that never existed before. Prior to Medicare’s enactment, it was nearly impossible for older people to obtain health insurance, as they were considered a ‘bad risk.’

Walter Gottlieb2025-09-26T15:59:50-04:00July 30th, 2025|Categories: Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage|

2025 Medicare Premium Hike Nothing New, Part of Larger Trend

Medicare beneficiaries will be paying a higher premium for Part B insurance in 2025. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Medicare premiums have been rising every year for decades now. The 2025 increase, though, is receiving an unusual amount of attention, probably because of the media’s hyper-focus on inflation in general.

Walter Gottlieb2024-11-18T14:16:49-04:00November 18th, 2024|Categories: Medicare, Medicare Advantage|

As Medicare Turns 59, We Still Need to Defend It

Before Medicare was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson 59 years ago today, nearly half of American seniors had no hospital insurance. Private insurance companies were reluctant to cover anyone over 65. Even fewer seniors had coverage for non-hospital services like doctor’s visits. Many of the elderly were forced to exhaust their retirement savings to pay for medical care; some fell into poverty because of it. All of that changed with Medicare.

Walter Gottlieb2024-07-31T09:22:19-04:00July 30th, 2024|Categories: Disability, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Older Americans, Politics, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden|

What Does Project 2025 Bode for Older Americans? Hint: Nothing Good

The right-wing Heritage Foundation produced Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Trump term. Though Project 2025 doesn’t specifically advocate for cuts to Social Security, the right-wing think tank has taken positions that would seriously undermine the nation’s most popular social insurance program. On the issue of Medicare and prescription drug prices, however, Project 2025 explicitly calls for changes that could be devastating for seniors. We chatted with our senior legislative representative, Maria Freese, about the implications of Project 2025 for older Americans.

Walter Gottlieb2024-07-19T15:23:26-04:00July 19th, 2024|Categories: Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Drug Coverage and Costs, Social Insurance, Social Security, Trump|

White House Budget Would Boost Medicare, Help Seniors in Myriad Ways

President Biden’s bold 2024 budget proposal puts him squarely on the side of working Americans in their ongoing struggle for retirement and health security. The new White House budget would keep the Medicare Part A trust fund solvent until 2050.

Walter Gottlieb2023-03-10T11:50:52-04:00March 9th, 2023|Categories: Budget, Congress, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden|

Now Is Not the Time to Turn Our Backs on Seniors

“Now is not the time to turn our backs on seniors by cutting Social Security and Medicare!” declared Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi

NCPSSM2022-08-30T15:59:41-04:00August 30th, 2022|Categories: Congress, Democrats, Max Richtman, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Deciding on Part D Coverage, Prescription Drug Prices, President Biden, Senate, Social Security|

Don’t Trust Insurance Industry “News” about Medicare Advantage

Deb Gordon’s piece in Forbes entitled, 88% Of Medicare Advantage Enrollees Are Happy With Their Health Insurance, New Study Shows, is more like an industry press release than a bona fide news story. The writer herself is a representative of the insurance industry, hardly an objective author for a piece about the insurance industry.

NCPSSM2022-06-22T09:09:16-04:00June 21st, 2022|Categories: Equal Time, Medicare, Medicare Advantage|

Medicare Advantage Slammed in New HHS Inspector General’s Report

We have been sounding alarm bells for many years about Medicare Advantage (MA), the privately-run health plans for seniors that are growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional Medicare. This week, an eye-opening report by the Inspector General’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed some key criticisms by the National Committee and other seniors’ advocates - namely, that MA plans are denying legitimate claims and refusing to authorize reasonable medical procedures.

NCPSSM2022-04-29T20:33:44-04:00April 29th, 2022|Categories: Max Richtman, Medicare, Medicare Advantage|