Medicare Advantage Plans

We will address the topic of Medicare Advantage Plans in due time; however, the reader is entitled to a look at the background of the bait-and-switch confidence games that the Bush administration is using to manipulate the Medicare Program for the elderly citizens dependent upon it.

Remember when Bush attempted to privatize social security? This was rebuffed by the American people. Part of the Bush agenda is to eliminate government sponsored programs and turn them over to private carriers, who unlike the government, can utilize the program as a vehicle to provide profits for their executives and stockholders. This is part of the ultra-conservative philosophy of providing for the well-to-do at the expense of the helpless.

This was well illustrated by Mr. Bush at a gathering in Cleveland recently. According to Paul Krugman in the New York Times, Mr. Bush was asked what could be done for those without health insurance for medical care. His answer'They can always go to the emergency room". This is in line with Mr. Bush's idea for a national health program which is "Tax Deductible Savings Accounts". A grand idea for the young, healthy, well to do executive; however, imagine the average family faced with a $100,000 hospital bill, and trying to pay for it with a $1000-@2000 savings set aside for health care per year, tax deductible or not.

Mr. Bush and his coterie strictly believe that health care should be administered by private insurance companies, thus decreasing the moneys available for health care per se but providing 13-16% profits to the carriers according to a recent article by Jane Bryan Quinn in Newsweek. The author quotes John Shiels of the Lewin Group, a health-care consultant, indicating that the health insurer's overhead last year came to $120 billion, of which $40 billion was profit.

United States is the only nation in the developed world whose health care system is run for the profit of the insurance companies. This is undoubtedly the prime reason why the World Health Organization rates the United States 26th in the world in providing health care for its citizens.

The Center for American Progress recently noted: " Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP, told an audience at the Cemter For American Progress back in July that, unless we act 'overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans willk total about $54 billion over five years'. This week, the Government Accountability Office confirmed that this is not just waste but possible fraud. Private insurers pocket tens of millions of dollars every year, if not a far larger amount, in overpayments from the federal government thaqt legally must be used to improve coverage for enrollees.

In 2003, 220 private insurers participated in Medicare. The Centers foe Medicare and Medicad audited 49 of the organizations and found errors in 41 of them. But Medicare did not take action to collect the
$59 million in overpayments that could have helped increase benefits, lower co-payments, and lower premiums.

Even if these overpayments were not lining the pockets of insurance executives, questions have been raised about paying private plans more than it costs to deliver care in the traditional program. In July, Novelli spoke of the need to create a level playing field for payments/ 'Overpayments to Medicare Advantage raise costs for beneficiaries in the traditional program' he emphasized. 'These payments are inequitable and fiscally irresponsible--they waste Medicare dollars.

Others look to the fiscal impact of these overpayments. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission estimates that every senior must pay $2 more per month in premiums (in part B Medicare) to finance HMO payments. And, the Bush administration's own actuaries project that overpayments reduce Medicare trust fund solvency by three years".

One wonders why the government permits this. One does not need to be very perceptive to realize that it is part of the Bush administrations overall plan to do away with the social programs put in place by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

If we, the American people, really want the health care crises solved it is time to turn away from the propaganda produced by the pharmaceutical and HMO industries in mind numbing volume on TV and begin to listen to those voices who desire universal, affordable, health care. We must studiously avoid health care dominated by the political establishment. We must start asking does our congressman, senator, or legislator accept funding by the insurance or pharmaceutical industries? If so, he is working for his paymasters and not for his constituents. Happily, there are a great number of elected representatives on the state and federal levels who are dedicated to our well-being.

There are many folks in the community working for you but you must give them a hand, http://www.healthcare4allpa.org or http://www.pnhp.org Do not stand by and let your health care future and that of your children and grandchildren go by default

For the Full text, go here.