Better Medicare Alliance Statement on 2017 Medicare Advantage Star Quality Ratings

Better Medicare Alliance President and CEO Allyson Y. Schwartz released the following statement in response to 2017 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Adjoa Adofo

202-735-0037

aadofo@bettermedicarealliance.org

Washington, D.C. (October 12, 2016) – Better Medicare Alliance President and CEO Allyson Y. Schwartz released the following statement in response to 2017 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings report released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today:

“The report released by CMS today shows that Medicare Advantage continues to be a strong, viable option for Medicare beneficiaries in need of high-quality care and importantly – access to highly rated plans is robust and more evenly distributed across the country.

“For 2017, quality in Medicare Advantage remains stable with almost 70% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries enrolled in plans rated 4 stars or higher – approximately the same in 2017 as compared to 2016. It is encouraging to note that there are fewer beneficiaries in low performing plans – less than 20,000 across the country – than ever before.

“This follows recent reports from CMS touting lower premiums and increased access to enhanced benefits for beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage as enrollment in the program grew to 18.5 million enrollees or 32% of Medicare.

“Medicare Advantage, a capitated program that promotes coordinated care and is incentivized to achieve high-quality measures, demonstrates the opportunity to expand access to high-quality care particularly as more beneficiaries with complex, chronic health conditions become eligible for Medicare.

“A coalition of providers, health plans, clinicians and beneficiaries, Better Medicare Alliance believes Medicare Advantage is improving care for seniors and people with disabilities. We encourage CMS to continue to emphasize measures that evaluate success in improved health outcomes and include care coordination measures in quality ratings to capture care innovations in Medicare Advantage.”

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Better Medicare Alliance | The Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) is the leading coalition of nurses, doctors, health plans, employers, aging service agencies, advocates, retiree organizations, and beneficiaries supporting Medicare Advantage. BMA works to ensure the sustainability and stability of Medicare Advantage through information, research, education, and united support among stakeholders to strengthen this important coverage for seniors and people with disabilities. For more information please visitwww.bettermedicarealliance.org.