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This addresses the Medicare Advantage collapse. We're losing ours next year. What a mess this is. The video is 31 mins long

As Congress debates how to rein in federal spending, some experts say aspects of Medicare Advantage should be on the chopping block, starting with $86 billion a year in taxpayer-funded supplemental benefits that often go unused or unverified. The federal government pays Medicare Advantage plans rebate dollars to cover extra services, including dental, vision, hearing, and over-the-counter drugs. However, a 2024 study published by JAMA Network Open found that only $3.9 billion of that money went toward dental, vision and hearing benefits. Meanwhile, the industry spent an estimated $16 billion on $1,000 “Flex Cards” for new enrollees – prepaid cash...

I would like to open a discussion on the best choose of Senior Health Insurance. Medicare+Gap Policy vs. Medicare Advantage. I now have Medicare + Gap Policy. For 17 years I have used Gap Plan F. Premiums in the last 17 years have gone from $164/month to $230/month. I know other Gap Plans such as : G and N are available similar to F with some added risk. My main question is should I and other Seniors consider Medicare Advantage?

I turned 65 in June and got on Medicare. I got the normal Medicare plans including Plan D, and optional Dental and Vision overage. Cost about $150 a total. I opted not to go Medicare Advantage at that time until and I could research it and see if it was all that was claimed. I recently talked to the Blue Cross rep here in Arkansas and after all my questions were answered and i knew my doctor was in the network I opted for a Advantage Plan, PPL plan for $49.00 a month and I am satisfied I made a...

In his march towards total government control of American lives, President Barack Obama strikes at Medicare Advantage, or Medicare Part D, in his new budget released Feb. 2 for fiscal year 2016. “The Budget proposes to give the Secretary of HHS the authority to negotiate drug prices for biologics and high-cost drugs in Medicare Part D to help ensure access to and affordability of these treatments,” according to “Investing in America's Future,” the White House's FY 2016 budget narrative. “This proposal is one of a range of potential solutions to address these growing costs, and the administration looks forward to...

If there is a different place to post this, please direct me. My Medicare begins Feb. 2, and I'm figuring to sign up for an advantage plan, but my lazy self hasn't done enough research on this. Those of you in the know, any advice is appreciated. 65, male, caucasian, 5'7", 180-195 lbs., reside in Florida, no wife or ex-wife, no children, travel to Hawaii, drive to NY and California, spry, no medications, no chronic ailments other than mild sciatica, good mobility, no arthritis, drink daily (after 6 PM), SS + pension + other ~ 3000/month, cash reserves about $150k,...

We’ve written about the hypocritical nature of Joe Biden’s attacks on the Republicans over Social Security and Medicare, with the Biden administration targeting Medicare Advantage. Almost 50 percent of the people eligible for Medicare opt for Medicare Advantage, so anything that would affect the program could affect a lot of people.We reported back in February about how Biden got fact-checked by Twitter that month for lying about the Republicans. But that was particularly disgraceful, when he was proposing moves that could result in cuts to payments to Medicare Advantage insurers.The 2024 Medicare Advantage and Part D Advance Notice, released in...

UnitedHealth says it is under a federal criminal and civil investigation regarding Medicare business and is cooperating - AP

Things continue to spiral for the embattled UnitedHealth.UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the United States, is reportedly the subject of a federal criminal investigation for potential Medicare fraud, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.The investigation, led by the U.S. Department of Justice’s health-care fraud unit in New York, has been underway since at least the summer of 2024 and centers on the company’s Medicare Advantage business practices, according to the report.Medicare Advantage, a program that provides private insurance alternatives to traditional Medicare, serves over 8.2 million members through UnitedHealth, making it a significant revenue...

[Snip] UnitedHealth Group’s shares plunged over 10% in premarket trading on Tuesday after the sudden announcement of CEO Andrew Witty’s departure and the suspension of its 2025 financial forecast. The company cited “personal reasons” for Witty’s exit but offered no further details. Stephen Hemsley, UnitedHealth’s longtime leader who previously served as CEO for over a decade, is returning to helm the company during this turbulent period. [Snip] The market response was swift. UnitedHealth’s stock ($UNH) has now dropped nearly 45% in the past month, wiping out around $300 billion in market value. On April 17, shares fell 22% — its...

During the continuing resolution fight, the drum the Democrats kept beating was that Republicans wanted to gut Medicare - despite the fact that Joe Biden's administration oversaw years of cuts to Medicare Advantage, the plan increasingly chosen by the nation's seniors. Dems won't characterize cuts to Medicare Advantage as Medicare cuts, though, because what they're really trying to do is eliminate Medicare Advantage as a way to push "Medicare for All." Now that we're headed into the reconciliation process, where finding ways to keep Medicare solvent will be a top issue, at least one lefty is on record admitting that...

Democrats on a Senate subcommittee are accusing UnitedHealthcare Group of denying claims to a growing number of patients as it tried to leverage artificial intelligence to automate the process. In an October report, "How Medicare Advantage Insurers Have Denied Patients Access to Post-Acute Care," Democrats on the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) released a report claiming UnitedHealthcare’s prior authorization denial rate for post-acute care jumped from 10.9% in 2020 to 22.7% in 2022. Denial rates for skilled nursing centers, in particular, "experienced particularly dramatic growth." The number of denied claims in 2022 was nine times higher compared to...

I've finally come to FR for help understanding this total conundrum. I'll admit, I am completely baffled. This is in regard to these "senior spending cards", or "Medicare allowance cards"."Prepaid food allowance cards". You cannot go 5 minutes on the net (and 2 minutes on my phone) without seeing an ad for one or more variations of these cards. Supposedly, they are prepaid cards which allow you to buy retail stuff. Groceries, OTC meds, consumables, etc; "All seniors over the age of XX are eligible" [this is 100% false] "It pains me to know that many seniors are missing out...

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has officially announced the payment dates for the upcoming cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase in benefits. Beneficiaries will soon learn the exact percentage of the COLA, which the Senior Citizens League (TSCL) predicts will be between 2.73% and 3.2%. The Bureau of Labor Statistics analyzes inflation data annually to determine the necessary increase to ensure Americans can maintain their purchasing power... Analysts anticipate a decrease in the COLA for Social Security benefits in 2025 compared to previous years due to easing inflation. The SSA will announce the 2025 increase on October 10, with the...

Seniors are expected to face $33 in out-of-pocket expenses each month after Medicare Advantage cuts. "Joe Biden has cut Medicare Advantage for the last two years. Did you know that? He’s cut your Medicare Advantage, which is a total betrayal of seniors. And just check, you’ll see it. He has cut you down for two years straight."

Joe Biden's re-election campaign is repeating the naked lie, over and over again, that President Trump wants to cut elderly people's Social Security and Medicare. Some of those elderly voters believe him, as recent polling has shown. But he's already played Mr. Slasher on Medicare Advantage, the immensely popular supplemental health insurance program favored by more than half of seniors, and he plans to cut it more. Democrats hate this program because it allows its buyers choice in what kind of coverage they would like to have on their policies. According to an important op-ed on RedState from the Heartland...

Shares of U.S. health insurers fell after the Biden administration didn't boost payments for private Medicare plans as much as the insurance industry and investors had hoped...The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services late Monday said that government payments to Medicare Advantage plans are expected to rise 3.7% year over year...That is effectively a 0.16% decline after stripping out certain assumptions baked into that rate, according to insurers and analysts.

(Reuters) -Insurer Health Care Service Corp said on Wednesday it would buy Cigna's Medicare business that manages government-backed health insurance for people aged 65 and older for $3.3 billion in cash. The sale consists of Cigna's Medicare lines, including Medicare Advantage, Medicare supplement and Medicare drug plans, as well as a unit called CareAllies that works with physician groups and other healthcare providers.

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...

President Joe Biden and his supporters in Congress are positioning themselves as the protectors of entitlement programs, especially Social Security and Medicare. "So tonight, let’s all agree to stand up for seniors," he said in the State of the Union address. "Stand up and show them we will not cut Social Security. We will not cut Medicare." Notwithstanding the fact that the Biden administration is spending us into the poor house — making long-term entitlement appropriations impossible — but Biden is indeed planning a Medicare cut. And in the worst possible area of the program: Medicare Advantage.