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As a Medicare Advantage beneficiary, I would like to urge my representatives in Congress to delay the Health Insurance Tax on Medicare Advantage. I rely on the affordable, high-quality care I receive from Medicare Advantage to manage my health, and would not be able to afford the additional $245 per year in premiums I would face if this tax is not delayed.

Seniors like myself have worked hard to enjoy our retirement and it is unfair to penalize us with unexpected, rising premiums. Premium increases for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries like myself would grow to more than $3,000 over the next 10 years. A costly bill would put the high-quality health coverage I rely on through Medicare Advantage out of reach for myself and millions of other Americans.

In 2016, nearly 400 Democrats and Republicans in Congress voted to delay the impact of the HIT for 2017. As a result, the average Medicare Advantage monthly premium was 4 percent lower in 2017 compared to 2016 when the tax was in effect. We need Congress to protect seniors from the impact of unjust taxes.

Again, I hope my representative considers Medicare Advantage seniors and support the delay of the HIT in the House plan introduced this week. As a member of Better Medicare Alliance’s advocacy effort, I am writing in hopes other members of Congress will put partisanship aside to safeguard seniors with Medicare Advantage from this worrying uncertainty.

GAIL PARKER

Libby