Medicare Advantage is the way most Medicare recipients choose to get their coverage. That should impact nearly every public conversation about Medicare because debates that once sounded technical now land directly on the kitchen tables of millions of American seniors. If ever there was an issue that marries policy and politics, this is it.

Medicare Advantage is a public-private partnership in which recipients choose a health plan, and the government pays the insurance provider to administer that plan. For about the same cost to taxpayers as traditional Medicare, which only covers doctors and hospital stays, MA covers hospitals, doctors, catastrophic care, prescriptions, vision, hearing, dental coverage, and can even include transportation to medical appointments, gym memberships, and delivered meals after a stay in the hospital.