{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/9/blackburn-warner-reintroduce-bill-to-increase-transparency-of-medicare-advantage-benefits-for-seniors", "Blackburn, Warner Reintroduce Bill to Increase Transparency of Medicare Advantage Benefits for Seniors", "2026-09-04", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "NASHVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), members of the Senate Finance Committee, reintroduced the Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Transparency Act, legislation that would require Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to publicly report the supplemental benefits they offer and the extent to which beneficiaries use them.\n\n\u201cTransparency in Medicare Advantage plans is long overdue,\u201d said Senator Blackburn. \u201cThe Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Transparency Act would ensure beneficiaries receive the full value they\u2019ve been promised by requiring plans to publicly report the supplemental benefits they offer and how often seniors actually use them.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe need clear and accessible data in order to properly evaluate the effectiveness of the Medicare Advantage program,\u201d said Senator Warner.\u201cThis legislation will make sure we can ensure the sustainability of Medicare and better evaluate plans, so seniors have the best coverage for their needs.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nIn recent years, the use of Medicare Advantage has skyrocketed, with more than half of eligible beneficiaries nationwide choosing to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan. However, there is currently no statutory requirement to specifically report on supplemental benefits, making data on available benefits and their utilization unreliable. Senator Blackburn\u2019s legislation would ensure this information is available to understand beneficiary use of supplemental benefits and their impact on the sustainability of the Medicare program.\n\nMEDICARE ADVANTAGE SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFITS TRANSPARENCY ACT\n\nSpecifically, the legislation would require Medicare Advantage plans to report enrollee-level data on supplemental benefits to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as well as report eligibility for benefits, the types of benefit categories offered, and data on utilization of and payments for such benefits. There is currently no statutory requirement to specifically report on supplemental benefits, making data on available benefits and their utilization unreliable.\n\nClick here for bill text.", 1, "2026-09-09T09:27:09Z", "2026-09-09T09:29:04Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/9/blackburn-warner-reintroduce-bill-to-increase-transparency-of-medicare-advantage-benefits-for-seniors"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0326711237430573, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}