Posted on 11/21/2022 9:37:15 PM PST by ConservativeMind
An analysis found that cancer patients with privatized, cost-saving Medicare Advantage were more likely than those with traditional Medicare to go to hospitals with physicians less experienced at performing complicated surgeries, and that they were more likely to die within the first 30 days after the removal of their stomach, pancreas or liver.
With traditional Medicare, beneficiaries typically may go to any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that takes Medicare, whereas in most cases, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries can see only doctors and providers who are in the plan's network and service area.
They found that cancer patients who had their stomach or liver removed and had Medicare Advantage were 1.5 times more likely to die within the first month after surgery compared to their peers with traditional Medicare. Similarly, Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who had oncologic surgery of the pancreas were twice as likely to die within the first month, the study showed.
People with traditional Medicare were more likely to be treated at a teaching hospital (23% vs. 8%), hospital accredited by the Commission on Cancer (57% vs. 33%) or National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center (15% vs. 3%). Traditional Medicare beneficiaries were also more likely to be treated at hospitals with a higher median number of total beds, ICU beds, operating rooms and annual inpatient surgical volume.
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, on the other hand, experienced a delay of more than two weeks from diagnosis to first course of therapy. A reason for the delay could be the required prior authorization that Medicare Advantage beneficiaries with an HMO have to undergo. While this referral process is intended to limit unnecessary medical care, it can cause delays for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who need specialized services, such as complex cancer surgery.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
My friends who work in long term care say stay far away from advantage plans. I’ve had BCBS Advantage because I thought it was better. I’m meeting with my Medicare insurance guy next week to go over everything.
Going with a Medicare Advantage insurance requires not only a cost analysis, but also a review of current health versus participating providers. I have good fortune with an Aetna Part C plan, but given my age and comorbidities, my future health care needs will be pallative.
This is true. A friend here in Ohio inquired about getting treatment at Mayo Clinic. She has Medicare Advantage. She was told “sorry, your insurance is no good here.”
Straight Medicare has been around for over fifty years. They have the bugs pretty well worked out. They could always do better, but I have been happy with them for 11 years.
Are there ways to reduce your comorbidities?
Okay, wait a minute.
This stuff has been going on for decades. The key item of information to understand is that only recently did commissions for medicare insurance agents become essentially the same for Medigap (which is “Original Medicare” or “Traditional Medicare” or “Medicare Supplement” all synonomous) as for Medicare Advantage.
In decades past commissions were much higher for Medigap. This lead an enormous number of horror stories to get propagated for Medicare Advantage.
A poster above said contacted Mayo and was told his Medicare Advantage was no good there. Well, of course it isn’t if it is outside the geographical area. It is VERY likely Mayo participates with a local Advantage plan or 2 or 3 or whatever.
Look, when you approach age 65 you will be buried in brochures to make this choice (Advantage vs Medigap). It is enormously complicated. No one who isn’t approaching 65 or is 65+ will have done the necessary study and thus will not know anything. No one will want to dig through it until they have to.
Last point, there have been zillions of studies to determine if Medicare Advantage care is inferior to Medigap. The studies point in both directions, and never by large amounts.
VA folks generally all have an Advantage plan. Advantage plans are free for monthly premiums and they can be designed with no drug benefit (since you have that with VA). This lets them rebate some of your Part B premium, up to $50/mo.
If you are far from a VA hospital and have an emergency, you go to the nearest community hospital and get treated and VA covers it. So . . . Advantage vs Medigap never comes into play.
Gee, you suppose THIS may have something to do with that?
OK folks, I have no idea when this was put up but I urge you to watch this video ASAP because it CONNECTS ALL THE DOTS on the COVID JAB SCAM and will almost certainly be PULLED as soon as the globalist ghouls get word that it’s now out here.
If you have a download capability, DOWNLOAD IT.
AND SHARE THIS ONE EVERYWHERE...WHILE THERE MAY STILL BE ENOUGH OF “US” STILL ALIVE STOP THESE GHOULS, TRY THEM AND, IF KNOWINGLY INVOLVED IN THIS MASS MURDER PLOT — HANG THEM!
DB
PS:PLEASE ADVISE IF IT IS GONE BY THE TIME YOU TRY TO LOG ON!
https://www.stewpeters.com/live/
I have a Medicare Advantage Plan with Anthem/BCBS. Just had comprehensive blood work done including a lipid panel for cholesterol levels. The plan paid for everything except the lipid panel.
“The submitted procedure is disallowed because it is not recommended for payment based on CMS National Coverage Lab Policy.”
I am appealing this because Medicare should pay for cholesterol testing.
We have Medicare advantage plan and it has worked great in treating stage 4 cancer for 5 years
I have Regence Medicare Advantage in WA state. In 2016 I was in and out of the hospital, had various procedures and nearly died...in fact at one point my heart stopped and I woke up in ICU. This all took from about July to the middle of December.
I never saw a bill. The costs must have been HUGE and I think I got the equal to the top care available in the world.
From my experience I don’t know what this article is talking about.
Both programs are government solutions.
The government pays Advantage Programs a set dollars amount every year (per member) to provide services. I was told the amount used the first few years and it was so high it was obvious ‘elite’ corruption.
Anyhow the incentives in the programs are interesting. One incentive rewards adding as many people as possible (assuring new ‘perks’) to ‘plans’ ... and the other is to spend as little as possible on each senior to maximize profit.
Medicare sucks anyways.
I hate it and hated being forced onto it when I was 65.
My advice to anyone staring at it in the next couple years, especially if they have good health insurance they are happy with, make sure you have everything taken care of medically that you need/want before Medicare.
If cataract surgery is on the table, have it done before. Same if you are considering carpal tunnel surgery.
If you have a eye rider, get your new glasses just before going on medicare. Fill any prescriptions and stock up if possible.
If you have a dental plan, get all your dental issues addressed.
I have had zero problems with Medicare.
.
I’m glad it works for someone.
Their prescription plan especially sucks.
THe only way a private corporation can take less of your money than Medicare, and still make a profit, is by limiting your options to fewer than Medicare, your care to less, and limiting the pool to a group self-selected because they believe they need less care—until they suddenly need more. But they’re locked in until the next season.
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