**Medicare Advantage right now is sometimes two to four times more expensive than regular Medicare — but you get the same coverage,” he said. “They’re putting profits into a little extra benefit. That’s OK for a few people, but it may not be that meaningful for everyone.
And he’s right. It’s not really a huge deal that many seniors will lose their free gym memberships. But tell ya what, my aunt has gone to the gym every day since she enrolled in Medicare Advantage. She should have been warned that was on the chopping block.
Why did you leave out the rest of that Harkin quote? Hmmm…
IOW, yes, the cuts are to bloat and bonuses, ***not ***to benefits. Gym memberships aren’t even mentioned in your cite, so perhaps you ought to tell us where you get that, hmm? :dubious: Instead of believing Grassley, which I hope you’re not foolish enough to do.
Here’s an honest look at the issue from Senior Journal, and it does mention the gym memberships.
I mentioned gym memberships becuase they are one of the extra benefits that comes with many Medicare Advantage plans.
Here’s what Senior Journal says about the extra benefits:
Why do insurers say more Medicare Advantage cuts would hurt seniors?
The extra 6 percent that Medicare Advantage costs taxpayers compared with traditional Medicare pays for things that benefit members such as gym memberships, care coordination and better health outcomes, insurance executives say.
Lower government payments would induce them to offer fewer Medicare Advantage plans and raise costs for members, they say.
Last year, similar pressure on payments caused “reductions in benefits, increases in out-of-pocket costs and changes in provider networks,” said Ignagni. “A number of seniors are living in areas where they’ve had a reduction in choice” of plans. Others see little change.
Looks like it’s time for Republicans to be good little boys and girls and get in line for your medicine. I know it doesn’t add to the debate here, but you gotta admit this cover is a hoot.
I don’t think this is true. McConnell is not nearly as conspicuous about bringing the bacon home as, say, Congressman Hal Rogers. He survived his first two decades or so by being mostly bland and inoffensive, and since then he has had the clout and war chest to keep serious challengers from stepping up. (The political incompetence of the Kentucky Democratic Party also can’ t be overstated.)
Because embracing it means embracing Obama. McConnell will make sure of it.
Beshear has been a decent governor and deserves credit for the relative success of our ACA implementation, but he’s screwed up as many things as he’s gotten right. He doesn’t pack anything like the gear to go national.
It should be noted that cutting MEdicare Advantage was where a big portion of the savings that made the plan budget neutral came from. The law is going to add to the deficit now.
Nice try, guys, trying to confuse us, but you did chicken out in the end like you always do.
And Chuck Schumer, neither a Blue Dog, nor threatened, says:
“In many parts of the country, including New York, Medicare Advantage works very well. They’ve shouldered their share already and this proposed cut would have been disproportionate, hurting seniors who would lose doctors or pay more. We’re glad the administration heeded our call and reversed the policy,” Democratic Senator Charles Schumer said in a statement. New York has the most Medicare Advantage members in the country.
But no, they aren’t real “cuts”, just changes in the rate of growth. Still waiting on that apology from the fact checkers.
It’s tragic all the people going to journalism school who are having to take “jobs” as click-bait gathering interns, isn’t it? It’s how crap like the above Forbes article gets published. Sad enough that entire websites (businessinsider.com for one) are based on this model, but when once-proud publications are reduced to this… well, America has lost something.
You guys seriously ought to check out this interview between Harold Pollack and Jonathan Gruber, the man who is widely touted as the chief policy architect of both the original reform in MA as well as the ACA writ large.
For those of you who have been following Vermont’s long trek towards single-payer health care, this is the most in-depth article about where things currently stand with that effort.
In short: It’s all still full-steam ahead, but the state continues to struggle with divining a suitable financing mechanism. The importance of the statewide success of this effort isn’t lost on the governor, either.
It’s also directly related to the ACA because the federal law doesn’t allow for state-based experiments such as VT’s to even begin until 2017.
Sebelius says the number of completed signups is now at 7.5 million and it should rise some more. This figure includes people who started the process before March 31 or had trouble enrolling and then got some extra time.
C’mon, dude.