“As Congress prepares to enter final negotiations on our budget for next year, I felt it was important to send a message to our Leadership on this issue,” Smith explained. “Thousands of seniors in my district alone are feeling the pain of Medicare+Choice providers leaving the market or scaling back their benefits due to funding inequities. It isn’t fair to Washington state seniors, and it’s critical that we solve this problem as soon as possible.”

Joining Smith in his letter were: Representatives Brian Baird (WA), Earl Blumenauer (OR), Norm Dicks (WA), Cal Dooley (CA), Darlene Hooley (OR), Steny Hoyer (MD), Jay Inslee (WA), Bill Luther (MN), David Minge (MN), and Martin Olav Sabo (MN).

Smith said that while he is optimistic some Medicare provisions will be included in the budget, it is still unclear what those provisions will be. 

“I am hopeful that we can fix the inequity problem. I’ve written legislation to help fix the inequities built into the system that guarantee states like Washington receive about half as much money per Medicare+Choice patient as states like Florida,” said Smith. “This needs to be a top priority of Congress this year so that seniors can continue to have the option of enrolling in Medicare+Choice, no matter where they live.”