Supporting health care that actually works for seniors
To the editor:
After decades working in hospitals and clinics across Florida — supporting families through childbirth, managing complex cases, and mentoring new nurses — I’ve seen how essential early, coordinated care is to keeping people healthy, independent, and out of crisis.
That’s what Medicare Advantage offers. It’s part of the reason I recently traveled to Washington to meet with Rep. Byron Donalds and Sen. Ashley Moody, and why I urged them to continue supporting a program that more than half of American seniors now choose-including me.
As a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), and as someone who has spent a career working to improve patient outcomes, I’ve long advocated for smarter, more sustainable models of care. Medicare Advantage exemplifies that. It’s built around value-based care — delivering better health outcomes, emphasizing prevention and care coordination, and prioritizing the patient experience.
Compared to traditional Medicare, these plans often include services that many seniors rely on but would otherwise have to pay for out of pocket: dental, vision, hearing, and prescription drugs. Perhaps just as important, they offer protection through annual out-of-pocket caps.
The result is better chronic disease management, earlier intervention, and fewer preventable hospitalizations. When care is proactive rather than reactive, both patients and taxpayers benefit.
In Florida, nearly 3 million people rely on Medicare Advantage. As policymakers in Washington weigh decisions that will shape the future, I hope our delegation, including Rep. Donalds and Sen. Moody, protect access to the kind of care that works — for seniors, for providers, and for the system as a whole.
Nancy Travis
Cape Coral