Health & Fitness
In September 19 Government PR about Medicare Advantage, "Average" Is the Key Word
Expected news arrived from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Thursday September 19. CMS says 2014 public Part C Medicare Advantage health plan premiums will ONLY increase 4%-5% a month over 2013 monthly premiums on AVERAGE (see NOTE) across the United States.
- Glass-half-full guy: 4%-5% is better than 9%-10%.
- Glass-half-empty guy: "Average" is the key word.
The news was expected because back in February and March we seniors sent a couple of million letters to our Congresspeople concerning how Part C Medicare Advantage health plan prices are set. Our Congresspeople in turn sent a letter to CMS urging CMS to change the 2014 Part C competitive bidding rules.
NOTE: The game insurers play is to announce new low-cost plans that no one would possibly want (because the benefits are lousy or because they cover only a few drugs or because the deductibles are high) and then average them with the higher-priced popular plans. That lets them say prices are flat or prices only went up a few percent ON AVERAGE.
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here