The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to Hold Hearing on Delays & Denials of Care in Medicare Advantage

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), Chair and Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), will convene a hearing on Wednesday, May 17, 2023 at 2:00 PM titled “Examining Health Care Denials and Delays in Medicare Advantage.”

Medicare Advantage plan enrollees represent more than 30 million Americans, roughly half of all Medicare-eligible seniors. In April 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) issued a report which found Medicare Advantage insurers have denied some coverage or payment for services that would have been covered under the traditional Medicare. Additional investigative reporting has raised concerns about the role that artificial intelligence may play in decisions about which care to authorize or cover.

This week’s hearing will examine whether seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans face barriers accessing necessary care.

The hearing will include testimony from:

• Megan Tinker: Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General;

• Dr. Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek: Associate Director, Program on Medicare Policy, KFF;

• Christine Jensen Huberty: Lead Benefit Specialist and Supervising Attorney, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc.;

• Lisa Grabert: Visiting Professor of Research, Marquette University College of Nursing; and

• Gloria Bent: Widow of Gary Bent, Medicare Advantage Enrollee, Hartford, Connecticut.

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