Patient and Consumer Advocacy Organizations Urge Senate Finance Committee to Rein in Medicare Advantage Abuses and Protect Medicare’s Future

08.05.2026 / Press Release

The letter follows recent action in the House Energy and Commerce Committee to advance several Medicare Advantage reforms during Families USA's affordability week of action.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Families USA sent a letter to Congress signed by 26 national and state organizations representing consumers, patients, providers, people with disabilities and faith leaders, calling on leaders in the U.S. Senate to take swift, decisive action to address longstanding abuses in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program.

In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo and Ranking Member Ron Wyden, the groups warn that Medicare Advantage - originally designed to improve care quality, expand benefits, and reduce federal spending - is now driving billions in excess costs while creating barriers to care for older adults and people with disabilities.

"Too often, Medicare Advantage insurers manipulate flaws in the MA payment system that directly undermine the health and financial wellbeing of our nation's older adults, as well as the federal government. These harmful practices include systematic upcoding of patient diagnoses that do not reflect the actual care that beneficiaries are receiving, gaming the star rating program, predatory and deceptive marketing schemes to prospective beneficiaries, and overly aggressive and medically inappropriate care denials, among others," wrote the organizations in the letter.

"Given these widespread predatory behaviors, American voters' interest in addressing existing abuses in Medicare Advantage is growing. For example, recent polling shows that 79% of voters across all political parties supported prohibiting Medicare Advantage companies from exaggerating health risks to get paid more.

"The Senate Finance Committee has both the power and the responsibility to ensure the MA program is providing the high-value health care and coverage that the more than 34 million older adults and people with disabilities who rely on MA for health insurance deserve."

Legislation to address flaws in the Medicare Advantage payment system has moved forward with bipartisan support in the House of Representatives this month. In July, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced policies to strengthen Medicare Advantage data reporting, an important step to improve oversight and accountability that this program needs, so that Medicare dollars go toward care, not corporate profit margins.

Families USA also supports comprehensive legislation like the No UPCODE Act and Saving MEDICARE Act that would close payment loopholes regularly abused by Medicare Advantage insurers and tighten oversight.

Earlier this year, Families USA released a report detailing how the Medicare Advantage program has become a massive driver of wasteful spending and corporate profiteering that undermines Medicare's promise to seniors and drives up costs for the federal government, taxpayers and health care consumers. The report also identifies solutions to rein in wasteful spending and protect the Medicare program for our nation's seniors and older Americans.