(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . It's Now Open Season on Seniors [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-15 We are beginning to be besieged with ads, mailings, phone calls, etc. for Medicare “Disadvantage” plans. Don’t be fooled - it’s a scam to funnel people into private insurance — not Medicare. And it’s an assault on traditional Medicare with the goal to completely privatize a very popular government program. There is a reason why 250,000 retired New York City employees fought back against a plan to move them into a Medicare Advantage plan - they were concerned about limited access and higher costs. In August, a judge banned the city from making this switch. Vermont’s retired state employees are currently in a battle to prevent a shift to an MA plan. A similar fight is being waged in the state of Delaware. California’s Scripps Health recently notified 30,000 patients they would no longer accept MA insurance because $75 million of services were denied by these companies. Mayo Clinic also notified their Florida and Arizona patients that MA would no longer be accepted. On October 4, PNHP (Physicians for a National Health Program) issued a report that estimated that Medicare Advantage overcharges taxpayers by a minimum of 22% or $88 billion per year, and potentially by up to 35% or $140 billion. These overcharges could have paid for Part B premiums or Part D drug benefits. Either of these— or other crucial aspects of Medicare and Medicaid—could be funded entirely by eliminating overcharges in the Medicare Advantage program. pnhp.org/… On October 8, 2022, the New York Times published an article entitled “The Cash Monster was Insatiable: How Insurers Exploited Medicare for Billions.” The article details the deceptive practices used: overstating the severity of illnesses or adding new ones, inflating bills, limiting choice, requiring pre-authorizations, denying care, delaying payments, etc. UHC, the largest insurer, was accused of fraud by insiders and the government, and overbilling by the Inspector General. www.nytimes.com/… If you can’t access the New York Times, just google Medicare Advantage on Common Dreams to read the many articles exposing this scam. The US Senate Finance Committee issued a report in 2022 detailing the deceptive marketing practices that are common in selling MA plans. This report stated that complaints had more than doubled from 2020 to 2021. www.finance.senate.gov/… Read Wendell Potter’s essay in Common Dreams. Potter, who is a former health-care executive who helped develop PR schemes to market MA, has since made a 180 degree turn and is now lobbying against MA. www.commondreams.org/... The business model for these insurers is to make money, not to provide good quality health care. The US ranked 23rd among countries for its public health system, according to US News and World Report. The OECD 2023 report shows that the US spends more on administrative costs, but less on long-term healthcare, than other wealthy countries. The reason for this is simple; our health care is being run by private insurance and equity firms, there is not universal coverage, barriers exist for those who cannot afford insurance, etc. 50% of seniors are now enrolled in MA programs, threatening the foundation of Medicare itself, turning a popular public health program into a money-making enterprise for profit-driven insurance companies. The goal of MA programs is to capture 100% of those over 65. When this is accomplished, there will be no incentive other than profit for companies running these plans. There is every reason to believe that our current ranking of 23 will fall even lower. Please talk to family and friends who are turning 65 this year or in the coming years. Don’t let them be taken in by the deceptive marketing practices of these hucksters! [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/15/2199518/-It-s-Now-Open-Season-on-Seniors?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/