PNHP is committed to focusing on specific āKitchen Tableā issues, to show how single-payer Medicare for All would address Americansā most pressing health care problems. See below for materials related to our Summer 2023 issue, the so-called āMedicare Advantageā program, and scroll to the bottom for a list of additional topics.
Medicare Disadvantage (Summer 2023)
What happened when policymakers invited big insurance companies like Cigna and UnitedHealthcare to administer Medicare benefits? Nothing good. These companies followed the same old script: restricting seniorsā choice of doctor, delaying or denying medically necessary care, and laughing all the way to the bank.
We encourage you to share the materials below with your colleagues, family members, friends, and neighbors during the summer of 2023 to remind them that the growth of Medicare Advantage is a kitchen table issue…and that Medicare for All would deliver better coverage, more meaningful choices, and true financial freedom.
Learn more about Medicare Advantage
- One-pager: Medicare Advantage; Bad for Patients, Great for Profiteers
- Policy primer: The Problems with Medicare Advantage
- Comparison chart: Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare for All
- PNHP comment: CMS Should Terminate the Medicare Advantage Program
- PowerPoint slides: Donāt Let Naked Profiteering Destroy our Medicare
Raise the alarm about Medicare profiteering by writing an op-ed or letter to the editor. Looking for tips on getting published? Email PNHP communications specialist Gaurav Kalwani at gaurav@pnhp.org.
PNHP report on Medicare Advantage overpayments
In the fall of 2023, PNHP published a report detailing theĀ many ways that so-called āMedicare Advantageā plans overcharge taxpayers. We found that total overpayments amount to at least $88 billion, and potentially up to $140 billion, each and every year.
By simply eliminating these excess payments, we could fund valuable improvements to the Traditional Medicare program, such as eliminating Part B premiums altogether or adding comprehensive dental, vision, and hearing benefits.
Dr. Ed Weisbart: Donāt let naked profiteering destroy our Medicare
Presented by PNHP national board secretary Dr. Ed Weisbart to members of Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA) on March 20, 2023. PowerPoint slides available HERE.
Survey for physicians and Medicare beneficiaries
- Short survey for Medicare beneficiaries (onlineĀ andĀ printĀ versions)
- Short survey for physicians (onlineĀ andĀ printĀ versions)
- One-page fact sheetĀ to accompany the survey
- Medicare Advantage petition, available atĀ pnhp.org/MAPetition
We urge our members and chapters to distribute these surveys at public events! Questions? Email PNHP national organizer Lori Clark at lori@pnhp.org.
Day of action in Washington, D.C.
PNHP was proud to join our friends at Be a Hero, Social Security Works, Public Citizen, and National Nurses Unitedāalong with dozens of New York City retirees, legislative champions, and patients affected by Medicare Advantageāfor a DC Day of Action on July 25, 2023.
Host a house party in support of our MA campaign
- Complete house partyĀ planning guide, including FAQs, a checklist, and a sample house party agenda
- Complete house partyĀ communications guide, including sample language for emails, texts, voicemails, and social media posts
- Set up your very ownĀ personal fundraising page to fight Medicare privatization
Fighting profiteering in the Medicare program is one of the main priorities of PNHPās 35th anniversary campaign. Questions? Email PNHP national organizer Lori Clark at lori@pnhp.org.
Social media materials
Download our series of eight (8) āscam alertā graphics HERE, and an additional Medicare Advantage meme HERE. Questions about social media? Email PNHP communications specialist Dixon Galvez-Searle at dixon@pnhp.org.
Additional topics
Review previous installments of the Kitchen Table Campaign, and stay tuned for additional topics in the future:
- Surprise billing (January 2020)
- Racial health inequities (February 2020)
- Rural health (March 2020)
- Pandemics and public health emergencies (April 2020)
- COVID-19 and racial health inequities (Spring 2020)
- COVID-19 endangers health care workers (Summer 2020)
- Measuring candidate health plans (Fall 2020)
- Mental health care (Spring 2021)
- Maternal mortality (Summer 2021)