The following Truth Test looks at a 30-second ad paid for by a group called America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), which describes itself on its Web site as "the national association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans. Our member companies offer medical insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, dental insurance, supplemental insurance, stop-loss insurance and reinsurance to consumers, employers and public purchasers." (Source: AHIP Web site: http://www.ahip.org/).

AHIP spent $107,800 to run 77 commercials on the networks of 9NEWS.

QUOTE: Most people agree that we need to reform health care, but is it right to ask 10 million seniors on Medicare Advantage for more than their fair share?

TRUTH: This is an opinion.

According to the Web site, Statehealthfacts.org, there are 10,259,669 seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage nationwide (Source: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cat=6&sub=79&rgn=7).

Medicare Advantage (MA) is a program where seniors get their benefits from a private insurer instead of through the government-sponsored fee-for-service program. The government estimates it's roughly a 78-22 split, with 78 percent of seniors getting their care through traditional Medicare while the other 22 percent goes through MA. Those who are in the Advantage programs get all the Medicare-covered benefits plus extra benefits such as coverage for eyeglasses or gym memberships. They also could pay a little less in premiums and co-pays. It's not available everywhere in the country and Advantage plans act much like an HMO and have limits on who you can see for services. (Source: Medicare: http://www.medicare.gov/Choices/Advantage.asp)

The government has estimated that it pays an average of 14 percent more per Medicare patient in the Advantage program than for traditional Medicare patients. Advantage combines hospitalization, outpatient and pharmaceutical services under a single plan rather than the per service concept of Medicare. (Source: Government Accountability Office Report: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08522t.pdf)

The Senate Finance Committee version of health care reform requires the private insurers currently giving care through the Advantage program to bid competitively for the right to sign up seniors. (Source: Finance Committee Bill).

Whether the current health care reform measures are asking those seniors for more than their fair share are tough to gauge as "fair" or not because it has different definitions to different people. There are a lot of people looking at what's proposed in Congress and don't feel it's "fair" to them.

QUOTE: Congress is proposing over $100 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage.

TRUTH: This is true.

The Senate Finance Committee health care reform measure seeks, in part, to pay for health care reform by finding more than $100 billion in savings in the Advantage program.

(Source: Congressional Budget Office Analysis of Senate Finance Committee bill: http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=10642).

That $100 billion in savings and/or cuts would come over the next decade and has provided significant political debate. (Source: Boston Globe)

QUOTE: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says many seniors will see cuts in benefits (Graphic 50 percent reduction in extra benefits).

TRUTH: This is true, but it needs some context.

The head of the Congressional Budget Office testified before the Senate Finance Committee that "the competitive bidding process would reduce the extra benefits that would be made available to (current) beneficiaries." When questioned about the extent of that reduction, he said those benefits in 2019 would be "little less than half of what we'd project under current law." Douglas Elmendorf also said the CBO estimated a roughly 20% drop in the number of people enrolled in Advantage plans by 2019 as well. (Source: CBO Director Testimony before the Senate Finance Committee).

Supporters of this version, including President Obama, have argued that no one who is eligible for Medicare will lose any of the benefits currently offered under Medicare.

The president told ABC's George Stephanopolous that current Advantage consumers "are going to be able to get Medicare that is just as good, provides the same benefits, but we're not subsidizing [the insurance industry] for $18 billion a year... We're not going to take a dollar out of the Medicare trust fund. We're going to make sure that benefits are just as strong if not stronger. We're not going to subsidize insurance companies in ways that end up creating a situation that Medicare is actually weaker and has a less financial foundation." (Source: ABC News).

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) has introduced an amendment to the Senate Finance Committee version to grandfather most of the current benefits enjoyed by current Medicare Advantage patients. (Source: http://billnelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=318577&)

QUOTE: And Colorado is hit hard.

TRUTH: Roughly one in three Colorado seniors is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage program.

There are 185,673 seniors living in Colorado who are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage program, according to the Web site, Statehealthfacts.org, which is a project of the national non-profit Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. It is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries.

The Web site provides "data on more than 500 health topics...and is an independent voice and source of facts and analysis for policymakers, the media, the health care community and the general public." (Source: http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?cat=6&sub=79&rgn=7)

The U.S. Census estimates that in 2008 10.3 percent of Colorado's population or 508,763 residents, are above 65 years of age, the eligibility level for Medicare. (Source: U.S. Census Colorado QuickFacts: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08000.html)

QUOTE: Call your senators. Tell them we need health care reform that protects seniors.

TRUTH: This is an opinion.

Posted below are unedited statements from Colorado's U.S. Senators on the issue and on Sen. Nelson's amendment to grandfather in current Medicare Advantage beneficiaries.

"To be clear, no Medicare Advantage beneficiaries would see reductions in their traditional Medicare benefits. The issue is that many of these plans are reimbursed upwards of 20% more per beneficiary than traditional Medicare, and studies have consistently shown that the care these beneficiaries receive does not result in better health outcomes.

So the government is currently providing overpayments to private insurers to provide care to seniors that do not make them any healthier. In addition to this costing taxpayers more money, it also has the effect of raising premium rates for all Medicare beneficiaries to help cover the additional cost.

Health reform would force private insurers to compete with each other based on cost to provide coverage to seniors.

It is true that some Medicare Advantage plans offer additional benefits that other seniors don't have, and many Coloradans are satisfied with the care they receive through their plans. There are proposals on the table to help grandfather in the best performing plans as well as give bonuses to plans with good outcomes.

We are looking at all proposals, including Senator Nelson's amendment, but Senator Udall has not made final decisions on which potential amendments he would support." --Tara Trujillo, Communications Director, U.S. Senator Mark Udall(D-Colorado)

"Colorado's seniors who use Medicare Advantage will not see a reduction in their traditional Medicare benefits. We want to ensure that Medicare Advantage private companies are playing fair, and competing, so that we can improve quality, cost and access. The current health reform bill preserves existing plans if they are well run and awards bonuses for plans with the best outcomes. We will continue to review all proposals, including Senator Nelson's amendment, to ensure Coloradans' access to care." - Deirdre Murphy, spokesperson for U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, (D-Colorado)