Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in need

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12. Please look carefully at original Medicare. The Advantage plans are insurance profit centers.

Advantage is not actually Medicare. It is another form of insurance that gets money from the Medicare Fund for those who are eligible for Medicare, and they have been costing much more per person than original Medicare. One of the primary differences is that the Advantage plans typically cover some level of vision and dental care.

When I was choosing, my concern was the insertion of insurance executives deciding care instead of doctors. With Advantage plans, your doctor has to get approval for your treatment. With original Medicare, there is no one between you and your doctor making your healthcare decisions.

You pay monthly premiums for both Advantage and Medicare, but Advantage plans are typically leas expensive because they are trying to grow their share of seniors on their plans. If they get enough, they will have essentially turned Medicare into private insurance with coverage of treatment completely at the whim of for-profit insurance companies.

The options after Parts A and B are called Medigap or supplemental insurance that covers the co-pays and the costs that original Medicare does not cover, plus coverage for prescription drugs. These supplemental insurance programs are not Advantage. If you speak with an insurance agent, you’ll get a hard sell to go with an Advantage plan because that’s where they make their money.

As you can tell, I am not an Advantage fan because its goal is to privatize senior healthcare, at which point our healthcare will be sacrificed for more profits.

Good luck!