Members of Congress pen bipartisan letter to Secretary Becerra urging a solution to disparities in Medicare Advantage, the backbone of seniors' health care in Puerto Rico
March 24, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Board of Directors of the Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Products Association of Puerto Rico (MMAPA) issued the following statement on a bipartisan letter to Secretary Xavier Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The congressional letter asks HHS to address Puerto Rico's underfunded Medicare Advantage (MA) program. Resident Commissioner González-Colón and colleagues in the House of Representatives are signatories.
"We are grateful to Resident Commissioner González-Colón and her colleagues in Congress for penning a letter to Secretary Becerra calling for improved MA funding in Puerto Rico. More than 630,000 American senior citizens in Puerto Rico rely on MA, and the program is selected by 98% of dual-eligible beneficiaries of both Medicare and Medicaid. Yet still, MA payment rates for beneficiaries in Puerto Rico are 42% below the national average in 2022, a gap that increases yearly and is up from 24% in 2011. The rates are also 23% below the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, neighboring Puerto Rico. This is unacceptable treatment of U.S. citizens depending on this essential program.”
"Inaction on MA funding effectively relegates the health care system of Puerto Rico to second-tier status. Actions requested in this letter, signed by members of Congress from both parties, will fulfill the Biden administration's commitment to improving health equity. We look forward to working with Secretary Becerra to provide Americans in Puerto Rico the care they deserve. HHS can act now, with the release of the MA rates for 2023 expected by April 4."
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