The committee pushed the measure forward in a party-line vote. The bill would direct MedPAC, a nonpartisan agency, to study overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans in a manner that is more favorable to insurers.
Medicare Advantage insurers have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, in part because of their cost to taxpayers.
MedPAC estimated this year that Medicare will pay 14% more per enrollee, or $76 billion in total, to Medicare Advantage plans than it would if those same seniors were covered by traditional Medicare.
The vote underscores the partisan divide over how Congress and its advisers examine Medicare Advantage spending. The bill’s stated aim is to alter the analytical approach MedPAC uses when assessing overpayments to the plans.