Hospital just confirmed a Zero balance as of Monday.
Funny...the hospital where I get my care,a very famous one,just started offering its own Medicare Advantage plan.
“That’s not a bug, that’s a feature.”
The rates for Advantage plans during this last year crashed— and result being they were not accepted very long.
Result— 2024 plans increased by more than 25%/monthly premium. So likely to actually pay hospitals and not get dumped. If they don’t people are really going to be ticked.
I signed up for standard Medicare.
It was not an easy thing to do.
Medicare Advantage provides health coverage to more than half of the nation's seniors, but a growing number of hospitals and health systems nationwide
are pushing back and dropping some or all contracts with the private plans altogether."
"Among the most commonly cited reasons are excessive prior authorization denial rates and slow payments from insurers.
Some systems have noted that most MA carriers have faced allegations of billing fraud from the federal government
and are being probed by lawmakers over their high denial rates."
"It's become a game of delay, deny and not pay,'' Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of San Diego-based Scripps Health, told Becker's.(Emphasis mine)
"Providers are going to have to get out of full-risk capitation because it just doesn't work — we're the bottom of the food chain, and the food chain is not being fed."
"In late September, Scripps began notifying patients that it is terminating Medicare Advantage contracts for its integrated medical groups,
a move that will affect more than 30,000 seniors in the region.
The medical groups, Scripps Clinic and Scripps Coastal, employ more than 1,000 physicians, including advanced practitioners."
"Mr. Van Gorder said the health system is facing a loss of $75 million this year on the MA contracts, which will end Dec. 31 for patients covered by UnitedHealthcare,
Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield of California, Centene's Health Net and a few more smaller carriers.
The system will remain in network for about 13,000 MA enrollees who receive care through Scripps' individual physician associations."
"If other organizations are experiencing what we are, it's going to be a short period of time before they start floundering or they get out of Medicare Advantage," he said.
"I think we will see this trend continue and accelerate unless something changes."
I’ve had Medicare Advantage plans for years including hospital procedures and I have had no problems so far. But I do know others that have had problems. From what I can gather it seems to be related to the serving area.
Who remembers when Medicare was sold to us as free health care after we turn 70?
stay away from “Advantage Plans” like the plague... get the supplemental
Lots of people are going to die because of these decisions.
I did think healthcare wouldn't cost me anything when I hit Medicare, but I pay about $1950 for part B, about $120 for part D and $2800 for the supplemental for a total of $4870. Not free but (1) less than my cr@ppy high deductible plan and (2) Actually covers just about anything. The only issue I've had is with the Part D, which includes a $500 deductible, and I've hit the “donut hole,” and had to shell out another $300 this week for that, for a total of about $800-900 or so this year.
Man, medical expenses for us senior citizens start piling up in a hurry, even if we don't have major problems!
It is for me...So is the VA...Means testing is increasingly the future. I expect TRICARE for Life to be the next target of the collectivists.
What I have read lately the MA’s are competing with each other to see how many give-aways they can promise that have no connection to sickness/health. One was even giving groceries.
Obamacare was designed to destroy the health care insurance business so people will demand a government takeover. Since its passage, health care has become more expensive and less available. When you can see a doctor (an actual doctor and not a PA) they spend all their time looking at the computer and checking off options via drop down menus. They then tell you what they are allowed to prescribe or recommend based on the computer’s diagnosis and the insurance/government’s permissions.
I go to the doctor as little as possible. Not a one has assisted me with a medical problem in the past 20 years. For almost every single visit lately, the PA’s recommendation has been the drug Neurontin — no matter what the problem may be. I’ve seen what that drug can do. My late sister was on so much of that drug that I swear it destroyed her brain.
Physicians are good for setting bones (most of the time) or stitching up a large cut. These days, that’s about all they are good for.
BKMRK.
I was in a medical facility recently. They had a poster on the wall saying DON’T BE FOOLED BY MEDICARE ADVANTAGE . It listed the disadvantage of Medicare Advantage and the advantages of Medicare Supplements.
My financial advisor had strongly recommended we stay away from Advantage plans and go with Medicare Supplement plans.
I took a picture of the poster. I’d like to post it somewhere so I can show it on FR.
EXACTLY what OBAMA wanted to happen-
Major step in destroying the USA.
I like to watch the old 60s / 70s TV shows, and the cable channels which broadcast them are flooded with commercials for Medicare Advantage Plans. They feature a bunch of old has-beens who must be desperate for a buck; they talk up these plans, hoping to snatch the elderly consumer (”Well, if Joe Namath is recommending this...”). I always either mute them or change the channel.
Sure looks like it.
It’s all part of going toward Universal Healthcare.....time is not on our side for too much longer.