Jakob Emerson reports for Becker’s about big changes coming to Medicare Advantage in 2025. Emerson suggests that for-profit corporate health insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans are struggling, even though the big insurers can circumvent regulations with near impunity and are making huge profits hand over fist. In fact, the big insurers are making huge profits and leveraging their enormous power and influence in Congress to deliver even bigger profits; if Congress doesn’t stop these insurers from corrupting Medicare, older adults and people with disabilities are likely to see their health care costs rise significantly.
The big health insurers are spending millions of dollars lobbying Congress and misleading people about Medicare Advantage, which costs taxpayers 22 percent more per enrollee than Traditional Medicare and too often prevents people from getting the critical health care they need and that they get in Traditional Medicare.
The health insurers will do anything they can to maximize profits, even if it means abandoning whole communities. Emerson reports some insurers are giving up enrollees in low-profit margin communities, leaving these people in the lurch. Moreover, some big hospital systems are dropping their Medicare Advantage contracts because the insurers are not paying them appropriately and denying their patients the care they need.
If you can enroll in Traditional Medicare, you will avoid facing huge hurdles to get the care you need. But, you will need supplemental coverage. To reduce your costs for Medicare supplemental insurance–if you can even get it–buy coverage with fewer bells and whistles.
If you can’t afford supplemental coverage or can’t find an insurer to sell it to you, call your Senator and Congressperson to complain. Everyone should have a choice of Traditional Medicare, not just rich healthy people. Demand that Congress add an out-of-pocket limit to Traditional Medicare since the government cannot protect you in Medicare Advantage.
Here’s more from Just Care:
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