Reply #5: I have Medicare Advantage & love it

[LibinMo]

We ran a small business before my husband's retirement in 2001. Even then the insurance premiums for our
12 employees were eating us alive. Eventually we had to close down. I had to go without health insurance for
2 years after that. It was the scariest time of my life. My husband, a cancer survivor, was on medicare by
then and it was a godsend.

My medicare advantage program charges no additional premium beyond the regular medicare premium. It includes prescription drug coverage & also a free YMCA membership. To replace these two things alone will cost at least another $60 month.

If I change to Regular Medicare + a Medicare Supplement plan (almost a necessity) that will be extra $100 month, minimum, plus
the premium for a prescription drug plan.

The way I understand it, my Medicare Advantage plan will stay the same through 2010. After that I will have some
decisions to make. Husband has MA too so we will get hit with a double whammy.

So it will hurt us financially. But you know, I don't care if it means that EVERYBODY in America can afford
health insurance. And can no longer lose their insurance over a serous illness.