Medicare Plans Offer Too Many Choices

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When looking for reviews on Medigap policies, all I could find were ads and online forms to fill out so that the salesperson (sometimes called an "advisor") could contact me.

Luann of PA 12:20PM September 22, 2011

It is interesting that this article states the choices are too confusing for seniors but does not really describe the study, the demographics of those in the study and the states/counties researched. It is also interesting the recent sway of the media, articles, and white papers, which are now negative towards private Medicare Advantage plans...hmmm..., perhaps this administration's objective? Medicare Advantage is an excellent option for most seniors. I do also find it interesting that most folks are forgetting how our government is not a good manger of health care systems; take the bankrupt Medicare Program and the VA system as examples. It is true that the health literacy of our elderly is weak, but remembers The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) dictates what a plan provides in the way of marketing material and tells a plan what they can and cannot say. It is also the federal govt, CMS that regulates and maintains the website, the Medicare Plan Finder, which is possibly one of the most non-user friendly tools intended for folks to make choices about their health care. Most seniors do have difficulty navigating the website...no wonder folks are confused. I have been in the Medicare Managed Care industry for 21 years and believe the confusion could be curtailed if CMS allowed changes. To Susan of PA, brokers are paid according to what they sell, but the Medicare Advantage plan far out weights Medigap concerning benefits, drug coverage and cost. I would recommend not judging a plan or options by what billing folks state, who the good payors are.....remember Medicare pays and then recovers.....thus the problems we have been having with fraud and abuse, which I must say is not seen to any degree close in the private Medicare Advantage sector. Moreover, to Sam of PA, while it would be a thought to have all of the same options for everyone, remember that all hospitals and doctors are paid differently according to their geographic location, which was a regulation set by the federal government. Therefore, having the same plan at he same cost for all would not work in today's enviroment.

Janie of AZ 6:35PM August 31, 2011

All Medicare Advantage Plans and Medigap plans should be available to ALL
Medicare recipients at the same level and cost in every state and in the very
least, at every county/city/jurisdiction within that state. This means that if a certain plan is offered in a large city/county area, it should have the same cost and level of benefits to Medicare recipients no matter where where they live. Remember Medicare is a National program, not a state or jurisdictional program.
Furthermore, the plans should be simplified to indicate what costs and benefits are available versus Medicare and Medicare Drug plans that are currently/will be in place for the year offered.
Another item that requires attention is the amount of time should be expanded where an applicant can opt in or opt out after signing up for a plan. This period should be extended for a minimum until the end of of the insured's current coverage.

Sam of PA 4:37PM August 31, 2011

So, where are the Medicare Advantage Navigators for seniors to use? The Fed has said repeatedly that the new healthcare Exchanges for the young and healthy (funded with money taken away from the old and sick) will be complex and "navigators" will have to be provided by the Exchange to help the young and healthy figure out which insurance choice is the best one.
Where are the Navigators for Seniors? Isn't AARP on this yet?
WR29

WellRead29 of KY 4:01PM August 31, 2011

I am a registered nurse who retired recently. I do not consider myself to have "low cognitive function" yet I found the overabundance of choices confusing and utterly overwhelming when I was researching Medicare Advantage healthcare plans last year. So much so that not retiring and staying enrolled in my employer's health care plan was starting to look pretty attractive just because "wading through large numbers of complex health insurance choices" was so baffling. I found it impossible to compare policies. I eventually settled on Medigap plan F. All Medigap plans, by law, are supposed to offer identical benefits so my next problem was to pick an insurance company to buy my plan from. There can be a big price difference in Medigap plans. The big insurance companies do offer seminars explaining the different Medicare Advantage type plans. They want to sell you Advantage plans and will spend an hour talking about these plans and 5 minutes briefly explaining Medigap plans because, I assume, the insurance companies have more control over what they will pay for if they sell an Advantage plan over a Medigap plan. The social workers and staff in the billing department at the hospital where I worked for many years all suggested Medigap over Advantage programs. Social workers in hospitals are knowledgeable about health insurance. These plans are good for a year so I will have to revisit this conundrum again in a month or so.

Susan of PA 2:30PM August 31, 2011