"Medicare Advantage provision going smoothly"

[impik]

From the Washington Post:

One of the most significant savings envisioned in the new health- care law - limiting payments to the private health plans that cover 11 million older Americans under Medicare - is, so far, bringing little of the turbulence that the insurance industry and many Republicans predicted.

The law, which sets in motion the broadest changes to the U.S. health-care system in decades, will hold down the amount of money the government gives to Medicare Advantage plans, which are available to patients who prefer a managed-care version of the program. The savings is forecast to amount to $145 billion by the end of the decade.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112905130.html

[Skink]

1. Yet the stupid in America remain stupid and even jaded.

[jwirr]

2. Good I am glad to hear that.

[madfloridian]

3. They are simply passing the costs along to the seniors.

Raising premiums.

[peabody]

4. From the article:

"Premiums have not jumped substantially, and benefits have not tended to erode."

[retread]

7. From a previous article: "Bridge for Sale" n/t

[madfloridian]

9. Sorry not true.

They have jumped for some about a hundred a month.

[SharonAnn]

8. If people want "extra" services, then they should pay extra. These are "extra" services.

For Pete's sake, what is so hard about this?

Insurers want to provide "Medicare" services and we should pay them the same as Medicare costs. If they can't do it for that, then they shouldn't offer Medicare Advantage.

If seniors (that includes me) want "extra" services, we should expect to pay extra.

[madfloridian]

10. The Medicare Advantage plans are raising rates and not increasing services.

That is a fact.

[kickysnana]

5. Ok, this is just weird because

Why is this paper confusing facts?

Medicare Advantage is a supplemental insurance to Medicare paid for by seniors, above Medicare which they pay for unless they qualify for Medicaid.

Here in MN there are HMO options but it is definitely not called Medicare Advantage.

Seniors in MN who are elegible for Medicare and Medicaid are required to go into a program called MSHO, Minnesota Senior Health Options that is run by several large HMO/Insurance companies, UCARE, BCBS, and a couple others.

How can Americans make decisions based on lies printed in the paper?

:argh:

[Princess Turandot]

6. Medicare Advantage is the overall name given to the HMO version of Medicare...

It's possible that there are senior care/supplementary plans where you live which use that name, but this article is not referring to those types of policies. It's referring to full coverage Medicare HMOs, an alternative added to the Medicare program several years ago.

See this link: http://www.medicare.gov/choices/advantage.asp

This option was added in the mistaken belief that HMOs reduce healthcare costs. Ironically, the Feds had to pay the HMOs more than the average per beneficiary cost for the original Medicare plan since those HMOs would not participate otherwise.

[madfloridian]

11. Medicare Advantage plans are privately run plans.

They provide more than regular Medicare, but with regular Medicare you need to buy supplemental so you end up paying almost as much or more.

One example is Blue Medicare, also Humana.