Medicare premiums to decrease 16% from 2011 to 2012, twice as much as previously expected.

[TheWraith]

Just got an email from my Congresscritter. Medicare Part B premiums (Part B being the general health insurance portion of Medicare) are going to decrease to $99.90 for 2012, a decrease of 16% from the $115.50 they were for 2011. That's a much larger drop than the 8% previously estimated by the Medicare trustees.

[Skink]

1. Obama needs to talk this up

[madfloridian]

2. Someone needs to talk to the Medicare Advantage plans.

[DURHAM D]

3. What do you mean?

I have a regular Medigap policy so I don't really understand MA. My brother has it (retired from large corporation who pays for him) and he doesn't even understand that he has Medicare Advantage and he sure can't explain it to me.

Thanks in advance you for your response. I am just trying to learn.

[juajen]

4. Good luck on getting any reasonable explanation on medicare and

supplemental or advantage plans. I'm stuck, once again, with a deadline looming, and still have no idea what I have been receiving or will receive if I change plans. They just say they explain. It is my opinion that all info is given to mislead.

[DURHAM D]

10. It seems to me the first question is -

Do you have any problem with using "network" doctors, etc.

Second question - total possible exposure. With Medicare Advantage it seems if you are not careful you can end up with a pretty high deductible.

I don't care about eye and dental coverage but if you do that will impact on your decision.

From what I have previously read here at DU if you have Medicare Advantage vs. regular Medicare you lose some patient's right.

[madfloridian]

5. Here is a good page.

http://www.mysenioradvisorsgroup.com/Medicare-Advantage-Basics.html

It is privatized Medicare. It is all that is offered to retirees in our county. The premiums went up last year and this year again.

It does include most everything and pays well.

[DURHAM D]

9. Won't the dollar amount taken from your SS

(and I presume deposited with your Advantage provider) be the same as everyone on regular Medicare? I was really just trying to ask about the dollar amount and why the reduction would not also impact Advantage customers in the same way - some will go up a few dollars and some (as in my case) will go down as I enrolled in 2009.

[woo me with science]

8. Retired military pensioners will have to pay annual fees of hundreds of dollars

for their Tricare coverage under the President's plan. Also, many prescription copays would be increased from $9 to about $45 per prescription. And the President's plan indicates that these will keep being raised in the future to stay commensurate with the private insurance plans like Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The serviceman's widow I was talking to was very upset. She said that free medical care was promised to them for a life of nearly 30 years moving every 18 months from military base to military base.


https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitehouse.gov%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fomb%2Fbudget%2Ffy2012%2Fassets%2Fjointcommitteereport.pdf

[former9thward]

6. The majority will see a small increase in premiums

The reduction you are talking about is for recent enrollees. Most will see an increase of about $3.50 a month. http://www.theday.com/article/20111028/NWS01/310289941/-1/nws

[Ship of Fools]

7. Don't fret -- the Supermancommittee will figure out a way to doink those savings ...