you know, the ones who don't care about the privatization of Medicare

*edited to add I do agree that original Medicare needs some tweaking

But I really don’t like the bashing of Medicare advantage because President Clinton signed it into law. There is no way, he thought this would screw the elderly. In fact traditional Medicare can be pricy as well. But you don’t hear stories about that.

Last edited Tue Jun 4, 2024, 02:36 PM - Edit history (1)

With that said, no man is perfect.

at everything was and is widespread.

they don't give a DAMN about anyone's health

all of this greed nightmare we're living in, with deregulation, more. NYT article added above.

I am also disappointed at the feeble efforts being made to stop the corruption.

It’s not Medicare. Fewer people would fall for it if they knew it wasn’t Medicare.

What is being described is Medicare Advantage plans that are sucking Medicare dry.

I have never had an issue with Medicare. I have talked with the people at the hospitals and they all say they love dealing with Medicare.

Go with Medi-Gap if you need a supplement.

What the Advantage scam says is HEY, look at this DEAL we are giving you - cheaper and with EXTRA STUFF! It works fine if you stay healthy.....what people don't understand is these companies have INCENTIVE to deny you care, which pretty much EVERYONE will eventually need.

People’s circumstances differ.

And, at least for First Lady in article, traditional Medicare wouldn’t have covered her treatments either because they weren’t FDA approved.

but most of them are not getting the overall picture

https://captimes.com/opinion/dave-zweifel/opinion-marketing-scams-suck-seniors-into-medicare-advantage-morass/article_2554c6f0-bae2-11ee-b3d8-a7749ae23037.html

but "Advantage" is NOT the answer - it's a SCAM - the more people get on MA, the more Medicare drifts toward COMPLETE PRIVATIZATION - and you KNOW what will happen then

That Medicare Advantage wasn’t Medicare. It’s also easy to confuse with medigap insurance. Truth in advertising would be nice.

They need to change the name.

her treatments too because they were not FDA approved. Traditional Medicare rarely covers non-FDA treatments.
———

[Talking about pain diagnoses, etc.] “Though it was discovered over 200 years ago, to date it does not have a single solitary treatment approved by the FDA. United Healthcare Medicare DisAdvantage loves to use that against me and as a reason to refuse to cover the lifesaving treatments which I have to have.”

https://medium.com/@jenncoffey/a-personal-story-about-a-medicare-advantage-denial-written-for-psara-education-fund-18c9679d3f25

Again, doubt original Medicare would have covered it.

I did not research the other patients.

these Advantage scam companies are seeing RECORD PROFITS which is the entire goal of the privatization of Medicare

that has lower premiums, limited dental (but sometimes as much as $3000 annually), grocery allowances, vision, maximum out-of-pocket costs, etc., by putting those benefits into traditional Medicare.

Until then, I'm going to respect peoples choices, and question articles like this that are misleading. Further, if the stories in the article are even close to truth, attorneys would be suing the living heck out of insurance companies.

Hope you noticed Guardian -- which I usually like, but not as sole source -- totally left out bit about FDA approval.

BTW: I have traditional Medicare, but suspect I'll be forced into an MA plan within next few years.

these scammers are DISGUSTING and they should not be allowed to continue with their deceptive advertising

Sorry, we’ll just have to disagree.

I’d much prefer original Medicare have those benefits, but it’s not going to happen. So, I support MA until the government changes things, which doesn’t look likely. YMMV.

IT IS COSTING ALL OF US

https://captimes.com/opinion/dave-zweifel/opinion-marketing-scams-suck-seniors-into-medicare-advantage-morass/article_2554c6f0-bae2-11ee-b3d8-a7749ae23037.html

Original Medicare needs to be updated but the money to do so is being siphoned away to enrich corporations

done here because it is POINTLESS arguing with people who cannot see that privatization of Medicare is BAD

if it helps people.

I’ll cheer if we get those benefits in traditional Medicare. But until that occurs it’s harsh to say, sorry poor people, but we are going to take those benefits away and charge you $250+ a month for a MediGap and drug plan.

is because they don't actually have Medicare type insurance which will pay for far more, and far more reliably, than their advantage plan will. Of course, until the insurance is really needed for something extremely expensive, they don't know what they don't have. It is like your car insurance giving you a free car wash every month. But when your car is totalled by an uninsured driver all you get is enough money for a down-payment on a bicycle. Insurance can look great if you never have to use it.

would have denied the first woman’s treatment that is not FDA approved.

providers that I personally know, I will post an informative link from an organization working to save Medicare.


https://pnhp.org/taking-advantage/

under traditional Medicare either because the treatments aren't FDA approved.

The advantage programs are and have been siphoning off billions from original Medicare. Yes they are busting the Medicare budget and that is a major reason original Medicare has not been able to compete.

My Medicare Advantage program and possibly yours are extremely costly to Medicare although they were supposed to save money. The money savings never happened but the programs have ballooned and are costing Medicare billions unnecessarily.

If they continue as is, they will destroy Medicare and then will be able to squeeze their members even more and increase profits even more. No one will be able to stop them. We will have been divided and conquered.

These companies are not capitalist enterprises. These are simply feeding off taxpayers. They saw a pot of money in Medicare and they wanted it for themselves….and they got congressional Republicans to hand over our money to them

. . . Yes, I know, the Medicare advantage ads flood the cable TV channels that old people watch. I know. My wife of 58 years, who is now 82 and slipping mentally, watches old cowboy movies and shows over and over -- we are in a rural VA county and depend on DirecTV, which has a few channels dedicated to old "westerns." She's even memorized the dialogue in some of them. Still, it makes her happy.

These channels are awash in Medicare advantage; funeral and final expense "life insurance;" car breakdown insurance; Camp LeJeune water lawyers; and other scams. The advertisers know where their audience is and know how to grab them.

At least once a day I must explain to her why we stick with standard Medicare and TriCareForLife. She is insulin dependent diabetic who takes a handful of meds twice daily along with five injections of two types of insulin daily. She has had both knees replaced, two session of foot and hand surgery, shoulder surgery -- cost us ZERO. Her meds cost us on average $85 per month.

The truth about the scam that is Medicare Advantage is all over the 'net and needs only a simple Google search to find.

They won't fill your mailbox with "LAST CHANCE" to enroll mailers every week either.

They don't have the time or the money or the inclination because they are actually trying to help people and keep the real Medicare afloat.

I'm sorry, but don’t people even think anymore? I just don't remember so many people being so gullible in the past. Have we become a nation of idiots?

Medicare advantage plans have only one job, to make money. The only way they can make money is to cost those who they insure to lose money and or benefits.

I equate Medicare advantage plans to HMO'S of the 90's. Think I'm still wrong? Think of prison privatization. Think I'm still wrong? You have my sympathies.

For the record, I do have as a primary full Medicare, and I carry a supplemental as a secondary.

"Coffey, 52, had been selling her belongings and raising money on GoFundMe to cover her medical care. To make things cheaper, she shifted her disability plan from traditional Medicare – a government-run health insurance program for older and disabled people – to Medicare Advantage, a program under which private health insurers contract with the Medicare program to provide health benefits."

People on Social Security or Social Security Disability will get Medicare after 24 months.

I got Social Security Disability at age 42, I started receiving Medicare at age 44.

traditional Medicare is administered at the local level by-- private insurance companies. Private Insurance companies pay and adjudicate provider claims, audit services, answer your questions, send you notifications, monitor quality, credential providers, make coverage decisions, etc.