I’ve been talking a lot about the recent CMS investigation. As far as I can tell, this originated with a blog posting from the Huffington Post (this was the first I had heard about Humana’s letter to it’s members). Interestingly, in the blog post, if you read about 1/2 way down, there’s a story about a lady (Alyce from Las Vegas) who’s 90-year old mother got the Humana Letter. She’s in a Nursing Home in Las Vegas, is wheel-chair bound and has Alzheimers. She was furious that her mom got this letter.
For fun, (because I have nothing better to do) I decided to use the www.medicare.gov website plan finder to see if the plan that provided ANY VALUE to this individual or if Medicare Advantage is a just a giveaway to the insurance company.
If you go to the Plan Finder, you can put in the zip code for Las Vegas (I used 89101). For age range, I put in “Over 85″ (since she’s 90) and for Health I put “Poor” (she’s wheelchair bound, in a Nursing Home and has Alzheimers). I put in “I don’t know” for existing coverage and “No” for qualifies for “Extra Help”.
You have to click “Next” and “Continue” and “Continue to Plan List”.
If you do this, Medicare will estimate the annual cost for different options (including Original Medicare). Ironically, Medicare estimates that the lowest cost plan for this individual is offered by a company who’s name I can’t mention, but who’s name rhymes with “Banana”. The estimated cost is $2,750. To find the estimated cost of Original Medicare for this person, you have to page down (A LOT). Eventually, you will find Original Medicare which ranks 28th among 32 plans that calculate cost. Estimated Cost for Original Medicare is. . .. . .. .(drumroll) $6,150!!
So, by selecting the Medicare Advantage plan, this individual is ESTIMATED to have saved $3,400 in ONE YEAR!
MEDICARE IS NOT BEING CUT! The hundreds of billions given to the insurance companies in advance will be cut. The carriers make millions on this pre-paid system! More than enough to take care of the seniors they enroll. There are seniors that use their fair share & more of these funds, but there are thousands enrolled that don’t. This is where the govt. is over paying! This money can be used to finance other health care.
I have found seniors to be a little selfish. They get the best social care anywhere in the world. Yet they protest the loudest, when the idea is expressed that federal dollars get spread around.
They should have good care, but just like the elderly man said in John McCains town meeting “I get more care, than what I ever paid in” How true. So lets show a little compassion to others, you seniors!
Go ahead and cut the medicare advantage plans all the way. Thankfully it will put a different party in office.
The “cost of original Medicare” I would venture to guess, is without a supplement altogether. I wonder what the comparison would be against “original Medicare with the least expensive “C” supplement and the least expensive Part D plan.
Of course all of this misses the point in that the insurance companies clamored for Medicare Advantage to help save the system, not just patients, money. In the end, Advantage plans wound up getting 15% more funding than originally proposed rather than offering any savings whatsoever. This is what the Administration wants to cut back on and, given the unbelievable profits these companies are making on Medicare business (read: your tax dollars), I’m all for it.
It is my firm belief that Medicare Advantage offers nominal savings to those who actually use health care in that nickel and dime co-pays can easily reach out of pocket maximums and the recipient then ends up in the same place with less freedom of choice for themselves and their physicians.
Senator Baucus’ statement would be accurate if ‘Congress’ is inserted where “insurance companies” appears below –
“It is wholly unacceptable for insurance companies to mislead seniors regarding any subject – particularly on a subject as important to them, and to the nation, as health care reform,” Baucus said Monday, disclosing the HHS investigation.
It certainly sounds like business as usual to me.