[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by elle123

Doesn't The Villages developers specialize in "Advantage Medicare?" I heard they made a killing...

Do you mean The Villages Health, the business in bankruptcy? I guess ‘killing’ has a different meaning here.

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Yes, Medicare policyholders are indeed taxpayers, or at least they should be or they would be on Medicaid. The point is, Medicare Advantage policyholders cost the taxpayers 22% more per policyholder than Medicare policyholders that go the supplement plan option. So the point that MA plans are not good for taxpayers is valid. And yes, traditional Medicare, with a supplemental plan, is much closer to being non profit than the Medicare Advantage option, which is run by private insurance companies optimizing the inefficiencies of the government. With traditional Medicare and the supplemental option, premiums are typically not lower, but the coverage is significantly higher and the taxpayers supporting that option are not getting screwed nearly as hard.

So in summary, your points listed above are all valid except for the lower premiums argument. With the government option, premiums are higher, because the government isn’t getting screwed by private insurance companies driving costs up by 22% more per policyholder. That’s why the Medicare Advantage experiment is failing miserably for taxpayers, and changes will be necessary. The whole train wreck happening with the Villages Health will be the poster child for these changes that will be a coming. Stay tuned.

We will see.
MA plan providers are still making lots of money, just not as much as they were. We'll find out soon, as the renewal period is coming up.
We like our UHC plan, so we're hoping we don't have to switch. But if we do, it is what it is.
Life goes on.

[RoboVil]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

The article stated that Humana is projecting a loss of as many as 500,000 members from its plans sold directly to seniors.

I will be taking a hard look this fall to see if the MA plans are taking away the advantages.

If Medicare Advantage takes away the advantages, it will be hard for them to stay in business.

Medicare Advantage plans have you locked in. You cannot go from a Medicare Advantage plan back to regular Medicare in most cases. Good luck.

[Birdrm]

It would make sense for the MA plans to try to cut costs, since most are zero dollar I wonder if they might start charging for extras like gym memberships, dental and vision?

[biker1]

It depends on each person's medical history. You do have to pass underwriting to move from a Medicare Advantage plan to Medicare with a Supplemental. One of the advantages of selecting Medicare with a Supplemental Plan when you first become eligible is that you are unconditionally accepted. I believe you can make a change during your first year without underwriting. You used the word "most"; this means more than half. I would not be surprised if more than half the people on Medicare Advantage plans would fail underwriting if they tried to switch to Medicare with a Supplemental. There are a few states in the northeast that disallow the underwriting requirement.

Originally Posted by RoboVil

Medicare Advantage plans have you locked in. You cannot go from a Medicare Advantage plan back to regular Medicare in most cases. Good luck.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by RoboVil

Medicare Advantage plans have you locked in. You cannot go from a Medicare Advantage plan back to regular Medicare in most cases. Good luck.

Not true at all.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Yes, Medicare policyholders are indeed taxpayers, or at least they should be or they would be on Medicaid. The point is, Medicare Advantage policyholders cost the taxpayers 22% more per policyholder than Medicare policyholders that go the supplement plan option. So the point that MA plans are not good for taxpayers is valid. And yes, traditional Medicare, with a supplemental plan, is much closer to being non profit than the Medicare Advantage option, which is run by private insurance companies optimizing the inefficiencies of the government. With traditional Medicare and the supplemental option, premiums are typically not lower, but the coverage is significantly higher and the taxpayers supporting that option are not getting screwed nearly as hard.

So in summary, your points listed above are all valid except for the lower premiums argument. With the government option, premiums are higher, because the government isn’t getting screwed by private insurance companies driving costs up by 22% more per policyholder. That’s why the Medicare Advantage experiment is failing miserably for taxpayers, and changes will be necessary. The whole train wreck happening with the Villages Health will be the poster child for these changes that will be a coming. Stay tuned.

Agreed. Great post !

[Dexterconfetti]

Up here in suburban Philly, my large cardiac group is no longer accepting Medicare Advantage insurance. I have a “regular” Medicare Supplement Plan, so I am totally covered.

Just a warning for the future… remember these plans will be with you for the rest of your life.

[Mrprez]

Originally Posted by Dexterconfetti

Just a warning for the future… remember these plans will be with you for the rest of your life.

Want to post a link to an official website that supports your statement?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

Medicare Advantage plans with lots of free benefits have been too good to be true. Now the business shake out is happening from MA plans to MA providers.

Note: This story does not relate to traditional Medicare.

Isn't there a famous saying that if something seems too good to be true.........it probably isn't ?

[Rainger99]

Originally Posted by Dexterconfetti

Up here in suburban Philly, my large cardiac group is no longer accepting Medicare Advantage insurance. I have a “regular” Medicare Supplement Plan, so I am totally covered.

Just a warning for the future… remember these plans will be with you for the rest of your life.

That isn't true. As far as I can tell, if you are in fairly good health, you shouldn't have any problem dropping advantage and going to traditional medicare.
If any people have had difficulty switching to TM, please post.


The list of potentially deniable medical conditions includes Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, cancer, congestive heart disease, diabetes with complications, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), high blood pressure, limitations of daily activities, stroke and other conditions, based on KFF’s review of Medigap applications of leading insurers. Applicants may also be charged higher Medigap premiums if they have conditions such as diabetes with no complications, bipolar disorder, or osteoporosis that is treated with infusion. The Affordable Care Act prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions, but does not apply to Medigap insurers.

[HarleyDoc]

As others have said, when it seems too good to be true it usually is. United Health hare Group stock price has fallen by over one half in the past year. The estimated profits are way less since it is costing more than the company estimated to care for MA patients. A new CEO was installed to help prevent the slide in stock price. It will be interesting to see what MA plans look like over the next 3 years.

[Mrprez]

I am all for rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in all government programs including Medicare and social security. The future for MA plans is expected to skyrocket, not go away. Will there be changes? No doubt. Going away? Nope.

[midiwiz]

Originally Posted by MX rider

We've been on UHC Advantage for a few years now and really like it. But we're curious to see what the plan looks like this fall when it's time to renew. Hopefully they keep the wellness benefits, dental and vision.

But time will tell, hopefully we'll have other MA options if needed.

We did our research when we started on medicare, so we''ll just do it again.

it would depend on how you fell into it, I also have UHC advantage PPO that my company custom designed, changes have been very little, and I expect it to stay that way

[MX rider]

Originally Posted by midiwiz

it would depend on how you fell into it, I also have UHC advantage PPO that my company custom designed, changes have been very little, and I expect it to stay that way

Well, we didn't really "fall into it". We signed up when we retired and started on medicare. Hopefully our benefits don't change much, but if they do we'll deal with it. We're not losing sleep over it.