Medicare itself may be the most prominent beneficiary of its Medicare Advantage plans.

That's what several health care industry professionals and lawmakers suggested this week during Medicare hearings held by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Medicare Advantage has the potential to be "the solution to entitlement reform around health benefits," testified Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini. Aetna is seeking government approval of its acquisition of Humana. If the deal goes through, it would give Aetna market coverage of more than 90 percent of the population that's eligible for Medicare. Then, he said, Aetna could offer a "nationally portable" Advantage plan that theoretically would put the brakes on Medicare's escalating cost.