[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17382]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HARVARD PILGRIM CANCELS MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN, SADLY A SIGN OF MORE 
                                TO COME

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                          HON. KENNY MARCHANT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 2010

  Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, sadly what we said would happen to the 
popular Medicare Advantage program when Congress enacted Obamacare is 
starting to come true. Harvard Pilgrim recently notified 22,000 New 
England seniors that it would be canceling their Medicare Advantage 
plans at the end of the year. The decision to cancel their 
participation in the program was made because of the newly enacted 
freeze in federal reimbursements and their concerns regarding the long-
term viability of Medicare Advantage.
  I am very afraid that Harvard Pilgrim is just the tip of the iceberg. 
Other Medicare Advantage providers will probably reach the same 
decision to cancel their participation. Health care reform was supposed 
to allow those individuals who liked their health care insurance to be 
able to keep it. Sadly these 22,000 New England seniors are now 
searching for new coverage in 2011. We must restore Medicare Advantage 
for our seniors that depend on it.

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