OPINION – In a letter dated Oct. 29, Chris Herstam encouraged Arizona’s congressional delegation to oppose the No UPCODE Act. The act aims to prevent Medicare Advantage plans from making beneficiaries appear less healthy than they really are. This up-coding, as it is called, means Medicare Advantage plans are paid billions more taxpayer dollars each year than they should be. Talk about waste of taxpayer dollars!
Medicare Advantage plans are a failure of the concept that business can provide a service less-expensively than government can. According to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, an independent, non-partisan legislative branch agency, in 2024 Medicare Advantage plans cost taxpayers about 22% more per enrollee compared to traditional Medicare, which amounted to approximately $83 billion in additional spending. This overpayment is primarily due to the way Medicare Advantage plans are funded, which incentivizes higher costs without necessarily providing better care for beneficiaries.
Here are some of the supplemental benefits offered by Medicare Advantage plans in Maricopa County in 2026: beauty spa, therapeutic massage, pet sitting, pest control services, gasoline, mortgage/rent, utilities and groceries. Original Medicare doesn’t cover those. Would you be OK if your taxpayer dollars were spent on those items for individuals with Original Medicare? You should be, because your taxpayer dollars are being spent on those items in Medicare Advantage plans.
