The Health Care Reform Law will affect Medicare in many ways. Cuts to Medicare Advantage plans and increases for primary care doctors are just some of the changes. The list is from The Medicare Rights Center.
Why Democrats Hate Medicare Advantage
A recent report from Congress highlighted why Democrats hate Medicare Advantage. The study of Medicare Advantage plans’ revenues and expenses from 2005 to 2008 found that the average Medicare Advantage insurer spent over 15% of its revenues on marketing, administrative costs, and profits.
Free Healthcare for seniors….in Florida
Dade County, Florida has 81 Medicare Advantage plans and most of the HMO plans offer seniors practically-free healthcare. $0 premium; $0 co-pay for hospitalization; $0 to see doctors. At the same time, seniors in Arizona are facing substantial changes in their plans in 2010, including a $36 monthly premium for a plan that has always been $0. Hospital co-pays that would be $900 in 2009 will be $2,000 next year.
Medicare Supplements cost Medicare more
A study of Medicare claims shows that seniors with a Plan F Medicare Supplement use more health care services than those who have co-payments.
Not all Medicare Advantage plans are bad
Opponents of Medicare Advantage have a mantra that says private Medicare plans receive fourteen percent more money per enrollee than is spent on the average Medicare beneficiary. President Obama and legislators writing healthcare reform bills all agree that billions of dollars must be cut from Medicare Advantage plans over the next five years.
Reagan on Medicare in 1962
In 1962 Ronald Reagan was a spokesman for groups opposed to the introduction of Medicare. Socialism and the loss of personal freedom were the battlecry of the opposition to Medicare. A Medicare bill was defeated in 1962. Click on the video link.
Medicare Advantage cuts according to AHIP
October 2009: America’s Health Insurance Plans released the following statement at the end of September, 2009 regarding the impact of proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage: FACT: The impact of proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage (MA) would vary greatly depending on how the cuts are structured and where a senior happens to live. The House legislation [...]
Humana accused of scare tactics by CMS
CMS has launched an investigation of Humana after questions were raised over letters it sent to its beneficiaries on the subject of health reform. Officials are looking into the issue of whether Humana used scare tactics when it reached out to Medicare Advantage members and took a stand on health reform legislation.
Enrollment in Medicare Advantage high in some states
If Medicare Advantage plans impose higher premiums and higher co-payments for servcies, over 10 million people enrolled in these plans will be affected. In some states the numbers are quite high.
Scare Tactics Target Seniors
I got a call the other day from a client who is 88 years old. He had received a mailing from friends in Georgia that was 11 pages of misinformation about health care/health insurance reform plans being debated in Congress. Needless to say, this information scared him and his wife.
Medicare HMO’s in 1996: a model for savings
In a 1996 New York Times article, Tucson, AZ Medicare HMO plans were touted as a model for saving Medicare dollars, and 42 percent of seniors in Pima County were enrolled in such plans.
AHIP Report: High Out-of-Network billing
A May 2009 AHIP survey showed out‐of‐network physicians in Arizona billed between 670 and 1,670 percent of the Medicare fee for that service in 2008.
Medicare Advantage and HR 3200
House bill 3200 targets changes in Medicare Advantage that will effect enrollment periods and costs in the private plans.
Small Increase for 2010 Part D Premiums
Part D drug premiums are expected to rise about $2 in 2010.
Medicare Supplement Changes in 2010
Medicare Supplement plans will change in 2010 and two new plans will be introduced.
Medicare Advantage Under Attack?
Cuts in payments to the private insurance companies running Medicare Advantage plans will start in 2010. Medicare Advantage enrollees will have to wait until October to learn how their plan benefits and co-payments are effected.
