What is the “advantage”

[LilOlLady]

WHAT IS THE “ADVANTAGE”

of a Medicare Advantage Plan that Medicare pays $800 to provide and manage senior’s healthcare. What can’t Medicare with the assistance of Medicaid provide and manage seniors’ entire healthcare? What are the advantages and benefits to a Medicare Advantage plan providing and managing seniors healthcare and how and why does it do what Medicare cannot do? Why would a Medicare Advantage plan take over the responsibility and what is in it for them? It seems that Medicare and Medicaid could do the same at a similar cost and if not why not? With the same co-payments and deductions?

Do Medicare Advantage plans make a profit? And if not, why are they in this? Can they provide and manage healthcare on $800 a month plus co-pays and deductions and Medicare cannot?

Medicare Advantage plans provide a prescription drug plan also.

Fact is, Medicare and Medicaid do provide and manage healthcare to low income seniors very effectively with no premiums, no restrictions, no co-payments and deductions.

 

[Truthmatters]

nothing speaks like success.

its seems the gov can run health care programs that work wonderfully.

 

[Polk]

The truth is, Medicare Advantage doesn't really do anything to improve the quality of services seniors receive. The Republicans know Medicare is too popular to attempt to ax outright, so they attempt to do it piece by piece. Stage one: the push for privatization.

 

[KittenKoder]

The truth is, Medicare Advantage doesn't really do anything to improve the quality of services seniors receive. The Republicans know Medicare is too popular to attempt to ax outright, so they attempt to do it piece by piece. Stage one: the push for privatization.

That's not even close to the big picture.

Fact is, the government raided Medicare so it cannot afford to cover much anymore, and with more people on it because of an increased life span and disability on the rise they had to include other options. It's an example of a government run system, a perfect example of what healthcare will look like if they take over everyone's. The funds paid into it were used for pet projects by both Republican and Democrat politicians. Which is basically theft.

 

[Polk]

In the issue was the cost, why would introducing a program that's more expensive be the answer?

 

[KittenKoder]

In the issue was the cost, why would introducing a program that's more expensive be the answer?

I never claimed they handled it well, just that they had to do something because they had already stolen the money that was suppose to go to Medicare. Also, it's not the only option, you can opt for different options, thanks to Bush (oddly).

 

[Polk]

In the issue was the cost, why would introducing a program that's more expensive be the answer?

I never claimed they handled it well, just that they had to do something because they had already stolen the money that was suppose to go to Medicare. Also, it's not the only option, you can opt for different options, thanks to Bush (oddly).

Well, when it first started out, it was cheaper (then again, no insurance companies signed on because of that). Also, which did the Bush administration add? All the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act did in terms of Medicare Advantage was tweak a few rules around the edges of an existing program.

 

[KittenKoder]

In the issue was the cost, why would introducing a program that's more expensive be the answer?

I never claimed they handled it well, just that they had to do something because they had already stolen the money that was suppose to go to Medicare. Also, it's not the only option, you can opt for different options, thanks to Bush (oddly).

Well, when it first started out, it was cheaper (then again, no insurance companies signed on because of that). Also, which did the Bush administration add? All the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act did in terms of Medicare Advantage was tweak a few rules around the edges of an existing program.

I didn't say "add", I just said it was thanks to him that the few changes happened that opened up the options.

 

[Polk]

I never claimed they handled it well, just that they had to do something because they had already stolen the money that was suppose to go to Medicare. Also, it's not the only option, you can opt for different options, thanks to Bush (oddly).

Well, when it first started out, it was cheaper (then again, no insurance companies signed on because of that). Also, which did the Bush administration add? All the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act did in terms of Medicare Advantage was tweak a few rules around the edges of an existing program.

I didn't say "add", I just said it was thanks to him that the few changes happened that opened up the options.

Yeah, it "opened up the options" by increasing the subsidies by such an amount that Medicare is paying insurance companies for things Medicare could do itself for less money.

 

[KittenKoder]

Well, when it first started out, it was cheaper (then again, no insurance companies signed on because of that). Also, which did the Bush administration add? All the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act did in terms of Medicare Advantage was tweak a few rules around the edges of an existing program.

I didn't say "add", I just said it was thanks to him that the few changes happened that opened up the options.

Yeah, it "opened up the options" by increasing the subsidies by such an amount that Medicare is paying insurance companies for things Medicare could do itself for less money.

The problem, as I pointed out before, is that Medicare is going broke because it was raided too many times by the government. It can't afford to stay as it is unless they put that money back.

 

[LilOlLady]

Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other govenment run services and programs are necessary evils.

 

[Annie]

The truth is, Medicare Advantage doesn't really do anything to improve the quality of services seniors receive. The Republicans know Medicare is too popular to attempt to ax outright, so they attempt to do it piece by piece. Stage one: the push for privatization.

That's not even close to the big picture.

Fact is, the government raided Medicare so it cannot afford to cover much anymore, and with more people on it because of an increased life span and disability on the rise they had to include other options. It's an example of a government run system, a perfect example of what healthcare will look like if they take over everyone's. The funds paid into it were used for pet projects by both Republican and Democrat politicians. Which is basically theft.

and the baby boom is now hitting. When was it that SSI was supposed to go in red? Oh yeah, it is now. Medicare is a shambles. Medicare in the red; Social Security near it | Philadelphia Daily News | 05/13/2009