tomder55 Posts: 1,742, Reputation: 346 Ultra Member   #1 Apr 16, 2024, 05:06 AM

Eliminating the private insurance choice That has been the Dem's goal for ages. Obamacare was an intermediary step in that direction steering people into Medicaid. Now Clueless Joe is whittling away at private coverage choice in Medicare. Medicare Advantage ;or Medicare Part C has private insurance companies offering expanded coverage to Medicare recipients. They typically have lower out of pocket choice than traditional Medicare and may offer additional benefits. Members receive care from providers in their network, and to obtain referrals. They have become increasingly popular ;especially with lower income folks . They offer things traditional Medicare doesn't cover like dental and vision. They grew in popularity even after "Affordable Care Act" (ACA) aka Obamacare ;which was supposed to replace private insurance. Critics of the program complain that a patient is too dependent on the process of referral and other red tape issues that may slow down access to needed care . They have a point. But at the same time they weed out unnecessary care which happens all too often under traditional Medicare. They also complain of alleged fraud and abuse in hospice care . I suspect fraud and abuse is rampant throughout all medical insurance programs private and public. Of course that needs to be addressed. Bottom line is that if seniors did not like them ;they would not be growing in popularity Clueless Joe and the progressive puppet masters doesn't like them. They dislike private competition with the nanny state . They want them gone. How will they do this ? By reducing Medicare payouts to the plans. Originally they planned a 2% reduction .But after push back they settled for 1.1% reductions ;with more cuts to come next year US softens cut to Medicare Advantage 2024 payments | Reuters CMS finalizes 2025 Medicare Advantage rates (beckerspayer.com) This comes at a time of increases in medical costs. Medicare Advantage members could see $396 benefit cut in 2025 (beckerspayer.com) Providers will be forced to reduce benefits. Part of the reason that the cut this year was reduced was that in an election year ;the politicians in the swamp recognize the electoral risk. Senate-Medicare-Advantage-Call-Letter-CY25_Final.pdf (bettermedicarealliance.org) Typically insurance companies notify enrollees about rate changes in the fall ; a few weeks before the elections . But you know how it goes. These cuts are needed to offset $billions that will be used for unconstitutional student loan debt forgiveness ;that SCOTUS already forbid. .

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