Elizabeth Warren warns 'corporate vultures' are circling Medicare on Biden's watch

[turbinetree]

By Jake Johnson, Common Dreams
Published February 03, 2022

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday joined physicians and dozens of her House Democratic colleagues in urging the Biden administration to immediately halt Medicare Direct Contracting, a Trump-era pilot that could result in complete privatization of the cherished public healthcare program by decade's end.

"It is completely baffling to me that the Biden administration wants to give the same bad actors in Medicare Advantage free rein in traditional Medicare," Warren (D-Mass.) said during a hearing held by the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth.

"The Biden administration should shut down the Direct Contracting model."

https://www.rawstory.com/elizabeth-warren-warns-corporate-vultures-are-circling-medicare-on-biden-s-watch/

This is really important for everyone on Medicare or will be in the future.....remember this is the "money" that you have / had being taken out of your pay check....so that when you retire you would have this government insurance....not this for profit Medicare Advantage insurance scam.....these insurance companies / Wall Street should not even be allowed to use the word Medicare in there advertisements.......

[dweller]

1. Once they've privatized Medicare

Look out Social Security…

edit: may be a good time to read this - https://www.commondreams.org/views/2021/09/08/medicare-advantage-profit-scam-time-end-it
✌🏻

[XanaDUer2]

2. Yeah, Biden admin

Needs to deal with this now

[jimfields33]

3. It's going to be tough to do with 17 million in advantage plans.

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2021/oct/medicare-advantage-vs-traditional-medicare-beneficiaries-differ

[XanaDUer2]

4. Try

I have a lot of faith in Biden. Warren is warning them. We cannot let this happen. I voted for SS and Medicare protection

[Demsrule86]

7. I like Medicare advanage...many here have been on medicare for a long time and are

grand-fathered into some really good plans, but new members can't have those plans...and between what you pay for Medicare these days and a wrap...it is very expensive and there are high deductibles and out-of-pocket costs in the wraps. And you still have to buy a pharmaceutical plan.

[turbinetree]

8. That is what happened under Bush when he had a congress to do the donut hole...

that is why we the public needed to have the government negotiating with Pharma, like to they do in other countries.

[Demsrule86]

10. I completely agree...but if you get rid of Medicare Advantage there will be more than

a few who no longer afford regular Medicare...take a look a the plans and wraps available...and consider a husband and wife must both have their own...you are looking a large sum of money for good coverage.

[moose65]

16. Not necessarily

Getting rid of Medicare Advantage, to me, would have to be part of a larger discussion about making Medicare BETTER for everyone enrolled.

I think in the long run, people would end up paying more for, or getting screwed by, Medicare Advantage. Private insurers stealing money from Medicare? What could possibly go wrong?? 🙄

[dalton99a]

5. Kick

[DLevine]

6. K&R. nt

[moose65]

9. Lately, I have been seeing a lot of commercials...

There have been tons of Medicare Advantage commercials on TV lately featuring such luminaries as Joe Namath and Jimmie Walker

Those commercials make me angry - they insinuate that they are Medicare commercials, but Medicare doesn't advertise - they don't have to! I see these in the same way that I view those "lawyer" commercials that come on during Judge Judy!

To me, it really should be illegal for them to even use the word "Medicare" in the commercials. I am sure that there are also RoboCalls that go to senior citizens, urging them to look at the available plans.

This is just another way to slowly destroy traditional Medicare. All of you folks who have Medicare Advantage plans - you better be careful! I just don't trust private health insurance plans at all.

[turbinetree]

11. Most people under those plans don't realize that they can just kick you off

if you can't afford the costs because the costs under this Medical Disadvantage plans price increase when you get older...which these scams do not say or explain....just like term life insurance that will cost lets say $9.95 for the first two years, then when you look at the chart if you over lets say 75 for this term life insurance you are paying well over lets say 200.00 per month because lets face it we are all marching towards the eventuality.......

[XanaDUer2]

12. They anger me. Too

Anything brought by Republicans is a ripoff

[moose65]

13. How did this even happen?

In my mind, I'm pretty sure that Medicare Advantage came into being during the George W. Bush era, but I could be wrong. It sounds just like something Republicans would do - kind of a backdoor way to weaken Medicare.

I remember during the Presidential election in 2012 and the midterms in 2014 - Republicans kept screaming that Democrats had taken like $750 million from Medicare to pay for ObamaCare - a total lie. Those cuts were to Medicare Advantage providers.

[turbinetree]

14. The back ground groups are from Alec...Heritage Foundation and others...that want to get this money

that's why republicans have been screaming about SS and Medicare all these years, there dollar amount has to be the same as the employee paying into the system....

[wackadoo wabbit]

15. Everyone should be aware of this! /nt