Congressman David Schweikert has introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would automatically enroll older Americans in a private insurance Medicare Advantage plan and lock them into the plan for three years.

Schweikert’s bill, H.R.3467, does allow people to opt out and choose traditional Medicare, but the process for doing that is not detailed in the bill. In addition, the bill does not require the Medicare Advantage plan to keep the same network of doctors and hospitals or costs over the three years.

Why would Arizona’s District 1 Representative want to force seniors into Medicare Advantage plans that have a reputation of delaying or denying medical treatments?

I hope it is not because CVS Health was a leading contributor to Representative Schweikert’s 2023-2024 re-election campaign with a contribution of $16,600? This information is from Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying.

CVS Health, through its Aetna subsidiary, is the third-largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. 

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