MA for Tomorrow @ One: Moving MA from Good to Great (And the next year gives us even more opportunities!)

June 12, 2024

Affordability. Value. Quality. Competition. Choice. These are the underlying tenets of Medicare Advantage — the most successful public-private health care partnership in history. MA is a proven winner delivering coverage and care to more than 33 million seniors – over 50 percent of the Medicare population. But there is always room to improve. ACHP launched MA for Tomorrow one year ago to shift the inside-the-Beltway chatter from defending the status quo to meaningful reforms that will continue to take the program from good to great.  

ACHP’s MA for Tomorrow is leading the charge to shape a future MA that ensures a reliable, sustainable and competitive option for seniors seeking quality, affordable coverage and care. But significant work remains. In the most recent open enrollment period, just three for-profit carriers captured 86 percent of new enrollment. That is not an anomaly but an unfortunate trend that reduces choice and competition.  

Focused on preserving meaningful choice for consumers and support for informed decision-making, CMS established new requirements leveling the playing field for many MA plans on broker compensation. Thanks to MA for Tomorrow, seniors will no longer be steered to health plans paying brokers unnecessary “add-on” fees. The new CMS caps on total broker compensation enables plans to compete on quality and that’s good for the health of seniors. 

More successes from MA for Tomorrow are on the horizon as policymakers are engaged in a robust conversation to raise the bar on quality. The current quality trophy-for-everyone environment is broken. There is new recognition that quality measures should focus on patient experience and health outcomes, not check-the-box processes. Supporting consumers making informed decisions on which health plan to select and delivering on the promise of value over volume begins with meaningful quality measurement and differentiating exceptional performance. 

MA for Tomorrow’s commonsense recommendations focus on patient care over paperwork, modernizing network composition to recognize virtual care and transforming payment benchmarks. These proposals have led to inspired conversations about the future of MA.  

In just one year, MA for Tomorrow has demonstrated that even successful programs must evolve and always improve. To serve current and future retirees, MA must keep pace with medical and technological advances; it must improve the shopping experience to match other retail sectors; and it must address loopholes and bad behaviors that dampen competition and choice. Prioritizing value and creating a level competitive playing field will allow this successful program to survive and thrive.  

MA for Tomorrow will continue to lead the charge, but we cannot do it on our own. ACHP and its nonprofit member companies are committed to engaging constructively with policymakers and other stakeholders on changes to improve health for the seniors and communities they serve. Seniors deserve the highest quality coverage and care, which is only possible when we all work together to strengthen a program that provides the best care. Please join us at www.mafortomorrow.org.