Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2026) – The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) named Senators Angus King (I-ME) and John Curtis (R-UT) its 2026 Legislative Champions. The award honors their leadership in protecting Medicare Advantage quality incentives that promote better outcomes and care for seniors served by regional, community-based health plans.
Sens. King and Curtis led a bipartisan Senate letter urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to eliminate the Health Equity Index (HEI) from Medicare Advantage Star Ratings and restore the reward factor for consistently high-performing plans. CMS did both.
Star Ratings drive the quality bonuses that plans reinvest to reduce costs and add benefits for seniors. As designed, the HEI would have penalized high-performing plans in lower-population and rural areas, where too few members met its eligibility thresholds, even when those plans were serving socially at-risk seniors and delivering strong results.
Sen. King
“For the past two years Sen. King has been a steadfast champion and ally for regional health plans working to operate in a challenging marketplace increasingly dominated by big national players,” said Paul Kasuba, MD, president and CEO of Portland, Maine–based Martin’s Point Health Care. “His personal advocacy to repeal the flawed Health Equity Index and reinstate the reward factor in CMS Stars ratings will allow regional plans to continue their focus on high-quality care and ensuring positive health outcomes for all members, especially for those living with needs influenced by social determinants of health.”
Sen. Curtis
“Throughout his public service, Sen. Curtis has worked to advance practical, bipartisan solutions that strengthen Medicare and improve access to care for seniors,” said Rob Hitchcock, President and CEO of Select Health and Vice Chair of the ACHP Board of Directors. “His leadership on policies that promote quality, preserve choice and competition and support high-performing health plans across the country has helped drive better health outcomes while protecting access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities. On behalf of ACHP, I am pleased to recognize Senator Curtis as a 2026 ACHP Legislative Champion and I’m blessed to live in the state of Utah and to be represented by him.”
Sens. King and Curtis were recognized in connection with ACHP’s 2026 Annual Symposium, September 14–15 in Washington, D.C.
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About ACHP
The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) represents the nation’s best local, nonprofit health plans, providing high-quality coverage to tens of millions of Americans in 40 states and D.C. ACHP is the only national organization advancing a unique partnership model of coverage and care that fosters a truly competitive market.
We believe Americans deserve the best health care in the world. Our members are on the ground in your communities, delivering innovative and competitive coverage. ACHP’s model brings together clinicians and health plans to deliver value for patients, employers and taxpayers.
