I have spent my career in the professions of insurance and law. These days, part of my efforts include helping seniors select their appropriate Medicare coverages.

Healthcare access and affordability are critical for West Virginia retirees and seniors, which makes programs like Medicare Advantage indispensable. More than half of West Virginians who are eligible for Medicare choose to enroll in a Medicare Advantage program, mirroring national trends. Keeping this program strong and on steady financial ground is critical to protecting the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of West Virginians and millions of Americans.

Medicare Advantage is a blend of public and private administration, blending federal rules and funding with private sector administration and efficiencies. It is a model for the future administration of healthcare services for seniors.

That’s why our elected officials in Washington, including Senators Justice and Capito should continue to help support a fully funded Medicare Advantage program. While there are likely to be a lot of government programs that need trimming, this is not one of them. Any funding cuts to the Medicare Advantage program would translate to fewer services and benefits, as well as higher premiums, for seniors and patients with disabilities in the Mountain State and nationwide.

By enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan, beneficiaries receive access to an array of offerings not covered by traditional Medicare plans, including integrated prescription drug coverage that keeps costs at the pharmacy stable, as well as vision, hearing, and dental benefits. Most plans even include wellness and fitness benefits like gym memberships, helping seniors live healthier and more active lives. For low-income participants, there are even subsidies for healthy grocery shopping and other preventive services.

Moreover, Medicare Advantage plans offer greater flexibility, allowing beneficiaries to change plans or covered benefits easily when the time comes. We all know our healthcare needs change as we get older, and Medicare Advantage recognizes that. By not locking enrollees into a rigid, inflexible benefits structure, the program does a better job of meeting seniors’ unique, individual health needs.

Importantly, cost-saving benefits like low-cost, or even zero-dollar, monthly premiums and annual caps on out-of-pocket spending help ensure Medicare Advantage enrollees can hold onto more of their hard-earned money. Given that the overwhelming majority of retirees and seniors are living on fixed incomes, these savings make the program even more popular.

This program deserves the support of our legislators and policymakers in Washington, but it hasn’t always gotten it. Medicare Advantage became a popular target for funding cuts under the Biden administration that weakened the program and the benefits and cost-savings it provides beneficiaries. With all eyes on cutting government waste, the same thing cannot happen again this year.

If any lawmakers are unconvinced as to how serious an issue this is for their older constituents, they should revisit the results of polling taken just before last year’s election. In it, 96% of Medicare Advantage beneficiaries said they believe it is important to keep Medicare Advantage as an option, and 86% said they’d be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who supports cutting the program.

Moving forward, Senators Justice and Capito and West Virginia’s entire congressional delegation should fight to protect Medicare Advantage from further funding cuts that could threaten the program’s future. We need a strong, fully funded Medicare Advantage to protect retirees, seniors, and patients with disabilities and improve the quality of life in West Virginia communities.

(Andy Richardson is an attorney with the Andy Richardson Group and specializes in insurance and workers’ compensation law. He served as commissioner of West Virginia’ former state workers’ compensation fund.)