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Last edited Mon Jul 3, 2017, 01:40 PM - Edit history (1)

There's no question about that.

There's no question that when I was ready to apply for Medicare and doing so online, I was asked to fill out brief questionnaires about myself and then was offered $0 cost Advantage Plans. I'm healthy. When it was my husbands turn, who is a diabetic and overweight, he wasn't so lucky. He was priced out of the market. I did this over and over again at so many different sites I lost count. As a matter of fact, they're all built about the same. So, I think that's a pretty good example of how a healthy person is 'funneled' toward a Advantage plan, and someone with health problems toward regular Medicare by default.

How many thousands of times do you think this happens a day? So, insurance companies get to cherry pick healthy seniors and Medicare gets the unhealthy seniors. Wealthy repugs get to line their pockets and Medicare takes a hit. Business as usual.

"In fact, the government actually pays the advantage plan a little more to take the sickest beneficiaries and develop management programs for them."

I'm not sure when an Advantage plan would get a chance to take these sicker patients you mention, unless they're well off. I don't think poorer sicker seniors are given subsidies to help pay for a private plan. Yet. :::Edit::: Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (SNPs) Ah - I see they do. Well then. It's a done deal, isn't it.

"Further, the government monitors the quality of care of Advantage Plans much closer than the do the open Medicare program that will continue to pay doctors until they do something awful to a patient."

Now, that's just silly. I don't think Medicare is the only one in charge of 'its doctors.' If a doctor causes harm, the whole system he or she works in has failed.