December 10, 2024

Dear Medicare supporter,

Over the weekend, PNHP president Dr. Phil Verhoef shared our organization’s “triple aim,” which will guide our strategy in the coming year. Today, we want to share more about two crucial parts of this strategy: ending profiteering and improving traditional Medicare.

For several years now, PNHP has been highly focused on corporate profiteering in health care, from Medicare Direct Contracting, to ACO-REACH, to the so-called “Medicare Advantage” program. What do these schemes have in common? They’re designed to enrich corporate interests at the expense of patients, physicians, and taxpayers.

Thankfully, PNHP’s ongoing campaign is making a serious impact and challenging corporate control of our public health programs for the first time in decades. We were honored to share highlights from the campaign at our recent Annual Meeting in Chicago—and to lay out a roadmap for continued success.

Watch our “Medicare Advantage” session from the PNHP conference >>> Video HERE

One of the most powerful developments within PNHP has been our members’ willingness to share their stories—and in the past week we’ve seen thousands of Americans share their heartbreaking experiences with corporate health insurance. These stories make a difference; they have helped fuel media coverage of corporate wrongdoing, legislative pressure on “Advantage” insurers, and lower reimbursement rates than the industry was lobbying for.

In the coming year, PNHP’s “Medicare Dis-Advantage” campaign will focus on three priorities:

  • Legislative: Building relationships (and power) within Congress
  • Narrative: Amplifying the stories of patients, families, and physicians 
  • Organizing: Building alliances with retirees and people with disabilities

Looking for slides from our presentation? Download the PowerPoint HERE. Looking to get more involved in our campaign? Email mandy@pnhp.org.

We understand that the political environment will be a whole lot more challenging come Jan. 20, but PNHP is determined to push forward. Caught between the hubris of hope and the paralysis of pessimism, we are opting for an “idealistic sobriety” that recognizes the very real barriers we face—but seeks to build the power we need in order to break through.

Stay tuned for more details on how you can engage with the incoming Congress in early January. In the meantime, please check out our overview of where the campaign to heal Medicare stands, and where it’s going.

In solidarity,

Shruthi Bhuma, M.D. 2025
PNHP Board Adviser
SNaHP Executive Board Member

Swathi Bhuma, M.D. 2025
PNHP Board Member
SNaHP Executive Board Member

Physicians for a National Health Program
29 E Madison St Ste 1412 | Chicago, Illinois 60602
312-782-6006 | info@pnhp.org

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