Insurance companies and other brokers are making false or misleading claims to dupe senior citizens into purchasing Medicare Advantage plans, according to a report published (November 3) by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
The report, which comes midway through this year's Medicare enrollment period—described last year by healthcare writer Susan Jaffe as "open season for scammers"—reveals that the number of Medicare beneficiary complaints about dubious private sector marketing tactics more than doubled from 2020 to 2021...
Dr. Jessica Schorr Saxe, a retired family physician, noted in a recent Charlotte Observer opinion piece that "earlier this year, the federal government reported that 13% of denials in Medicare Advantage would not have been refused under traditional Medicare," while "Medicare Advantage plans are also increasingly ending nursing home and rehabilitation care before providers consider patients ready to go home." - Common Dreams
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Medicare Advantage fraud spikes
There is a wide range of opinions about, and experiences with, Medicare Advantage. I'm not prepared to condemn the whole program, outright. But it absolutely needs to be under far more strict and enforceable regulation.
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A friend who had just become Medicare eligible told me how he lost seven pounds through the Medicare Advantage program ... he took the seven pounds of mail that he received encouraging him to sign up to the recycling center.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it is amazing how much mail they send out ... and although we have been on the program for years, I still get mail a couple of times every week from some agent or company.
I felt for years that MA plans cost the taxpayers too much ( The federal government pays out over $1,000 each month for each enrollment for every individual. $1,000 is a substantial amount when considering the number of enrollees they see, and bonus payments received through the bonus system. Sometimes the Medicare Advantage plan will get over $9,000 from the government to handle the claims of a “high risk” patient.)
When I turned Medicare eligible and was told that I "had" to have a Part D Prescription Drug Plan or pay higher drug prices ... and then was told that I could get a "Silver Sneaker" membership at a local gym, some dental coverage, and even over-the-counter items and the Part D plan if I signed up for a No Cost MA plan.
Yep, I signed up.
Does that make me a socialist for wanting the government to work with insurance and other providers to make healthcare more affordable.
Yep, call me a socialist.