Medicare Advantage: The Difference Between Security and Insecurity, Dignity and Decline – SCAN CEO Sachin H. Jain to Congress

Jain Testifies Before House Ways and Means Committee on Strengthening Medicare Advantage for America’s Seniors

LONG BEACH, CA, UNITED STATES, July 22, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “The real test is this: what does life look like for older adults with these plans, and what does it look like without them? For too many older adults, it means the difference between stability and insecurity; prevention and crisis; dignity and decline,” said Dr. Sachin H. Jain, CEO of SCAN Group and SCAN Health Plan, during his testimony today before the House Ways and Means Committee’s joint subcommittee hearing on “Medicare Advantage: Past Lessons, Present Insights, Future Opportunities.”

Dr. Jain brought a wealth of perspective to his testimony – he is a clinician, former policy maker and health plan leader and has family members who participate in Medicare Advantage (MA) health plans. Drawing on SCAN’s 50-year history as a mission-driven nonprofit health plan founded by seniors for seniors, he called for a thoughtful approach to MA improvements that preserve the protection and benefits the program offers while improving accountability and quality.

Medicare Advantage is a crucial part of the healthcare landscape, with over 30 million older Americans enrolled. In his testimony, Dr. Jain highlighted the program's strengths —its affordability for seniors with low and fixed incomes, coordinated care models designed to keep people healthy and independent, and essential services and benefits such as chronic disease management support, post-hospitalization support and transportation. These types of benefits are not available in traditional Medicare.

Key Themes from Dr. Jain’s Testimony

• Medicare Advantage as a Lifeline: MA delivers financial protection and essential benefits that traditional Medicare lacks, including coverage for hearing aids, dental services, and transportation.

• Equity and Affordability: Given that the average senior has an annual income of about $50,000, MA’s supplemental benefits and zero-premium plan options are critical to ensuring affordable, high-quality care.

• Investing in Prevention: Dr. Jain encourages investment in preventive care and chronic disease management, which keeps people out of the hospital and reduces long-term costs.

• Reform with Purpose: While acknowledging the need for reforms in areas like risk adjustment, utilization management, and star ratings, Dr. Jain emphasized that improvements should not undermine the core strengths of MA.

In closing, Dr. Jain stated, “We at SCAN are ready to be part of the solution to improve upon Medicare Advantage. We believe in greater transparency. We believe in oversight. We believe in improvement. And we believe in a future where MA fulfills its promise for every older adult in this country who needs it.”

The complete hearing can be viewed at https://waysandmeans.house.gov.

About SCAN
SCAN Group, a mission-driven not-for-profit organization, is dedicated to tackling some of the biggest issues in healthcare for older adults, including chronic illness, access to care, homelessness, inequities, and loneliness. SCAN Group’s Medicare Advantage health plan, SCAN Health Plan, is one of the nation’s foremost not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans and serves 300,000 members in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, and New Mexico. Independence at Home, a SCAN Health Plan community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors and their caregivers. Since 2020, SCAN has launched four mission-aligned medical groups, including Healthcare in Action, Welcome Health, Homebase Medical and myPlace Health, each of which focuses on meeting the needs of older adults. To learn more, visit www.thescangroup.org and www.scanhealthplan.com.

Seffrah Orlando
SCAN Group
+1 562-508-6781
sorlando@scanhealthplan.com
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