Letter to CMS and FTC: Misleading Advertising by Medicare Advantage Plans to Medicaid/Medicare Enrollees; Request for Immediate Relief Against UnitedHealthcare; Broader Nationwide Investigation and Relief Needed

Executive Summary

In this letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Federal Trade Commission, Disability Rights Connecticut, the National Health Law Program, the National Disability Rights Network, and the Center for Medicare Advocacy request that the agencies immediately intervene regarding misleading advertising that is being directed at low-income older adults and people with disabilities in Connecticut who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The letter requests that the agencies take steps to address the advertising used by United Healthcare to induce these vulnerable individuals to sign up for their Medicare Advantage plan, causing significant harm to their access to essential health care. Finally, the letter requests that the agencies begin a full-scale investigation of all print, electronic, and televised advertising throughout the country by any insurance companies offering Medicare Advantage plans directed explicitly at dual-eligible individuals.