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Booster

(10,021 posts)
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 11:24 AM Sep 2012

Anybody else receive this email? Need help debunking it.

When Obama says Romney/Ryan wants to cut Medicare remember this video...........


Watch this short 2 minute video and pass it on to all the seniors you know. Medicare Advantage cuts begin in mid-October of this year. Seniors vote, and they need to know this cut is coming before the election. Time is running out for seniors unaware of this.


Transparency in action? I think you should know this. President's $8 Billion Coincidence


Forward this to every senior you know and ask them to pass this along. Very important they all know what is going to happen.....


Remember what FDR said, "There are no coincidences in politics..."


Click here: The President's $8 Billion Coincidence | myBrainshark <http://my.brainshark.com/The-President-s-8-Billion-Coincidence-356086344>

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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NMDemDist2

(49,313 posts)
1. ...
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 11:31 AM
Sep 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2010/09/25/does-obamacare-really-cut-medicare-benefits-to-senior-citizens/

The end result?

Seniors who are no longer interested in Medicare Advantage programs, now that they can receive free physicals and diagnostic tests by signing up directly with Medicare, and are getting much better benefits towards filling the pharmaceutical donut hole, will now save the cost of the added premium charges they have been paying for these extra benefits. Meanwhile, the American taxpayer saves billions upon billions in the subsidies we’ve been paying to these Medicare Advantage programs to feather their profits.

Further, seniors who would like to continue in Medicare Advantage programs for full pharmaceutical protection until this is fully resolved in 2020, along with dental and vision coverage and, yes, continued health club membership, can – at least for this year and likely well into the future – do so paying one percent less than what they were paying last year.

Not so bad after all.



long article, worth the read

Booster

(10,021 posts)
4. Thank you for this. I sent it to "reply to all" but I really doubt that the people on the list will
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 12:19 PM
Sep 2012

read the entire article since their attention span is about a minute and a half, so I really appreciate the end result part. I knew I could count on someone at DU to debunk this. Again, thanks.

DURHAM D

(32,595 posts)
2. I am not going to open it but
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 11:33 AM
Sep 2012

please learn the difference between Medicare Advantage (private) and regular Medicare. Then realize that the insurance companies (Medicare Advantage) have been compensated at a higher rate for the same procedures. IOWs - benefits for seniors Do No Change but insurance company profits go down. That is a good thing.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
3. Here:
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 11:34 AM
Sep 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/08/14/romneys-right-obamacare-cuts-medicare-by-716-billion-heres-how/

...By 2010, the average Medicare Advantage per-patient cost was 117 percent of regular fee-for-service. The Affordable Care Act gives those private plans a haircut and tethers reimbursement levels to the quality of care administered, and patient satisfaction.

The Medicare Advantage cut gets the most attention, but it only accounts for about a third of the Affordable Care Act’s spending reduction. Another big chunk comes from the hospitals. The health law changed how Medicare calculates what they get reimbursed for various services, slightly lowering their rates over time. Hospitals agreed to these cuts because they knew, at the same time, they would likely see an influx of paying patients with the Affordable Care Act’s insurance expansion.

The rest of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicare cuts are a lot smaller. Reductions to Medicare’s Disproportionate Share Payments — extra funds doled out the hospitals that see more uninsured patients — account for 5 percent in savings. Lower payments to home health providers make up another 8.8 percent. About a dozen cuts of this magnitude make up the green section above.

It’s worth noting that there’s one area these cuts don’t touch: Medicare benefits. The Affordable Care Act rolls back payment rates for hospitals and insurers. It does not, however, change the basket of benefits that patients have access to. And, as Ezra pointed out earlier today, the Ryan budget would keep these cuts in place.

 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
6. As someone who used to register outpatients at a hospital,
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 02:20 PM
Sep 2012

I have grown to love the Medicare Advantage plans, because they made everything far simpler for me.

I'm a year away from Medicare myself, and believe me, I'm going to carefully research the Advantage plans.

It may be that any number of them will simply go away if the insurance companies can't make as much money from them.

Booster

(10,021 posts)
7. Thanks, Sheila T. I'm on Medicare, a lifesaver when it comes to paying, so maybe I should check it
Fri Sep 7, 2012, 02:55 PM
Sep 2012

out also. If it offers dental and vision insurance it would help me a lot.

Sperry27

(1 post)
8. Medicare Talking Points
Sun Sep 16, 2012, 10:44 PM
Sep 2012

• Medicare is a government insurance program
Part A and B are funded by the US Government
All Medicare beneficiary health services are 100% privately provided
• Both political parties cut $716 billion from Medicare
The “cuts” are adjustments in payment growth to Medicare providers
According to the CBO, the 10-year cuts includes the growth of payments for the following:
$260 billion in hospital reimbursements
$156 billion in reduced payments to Medicare Advantage plans
$ 39 billion for skilled nursing services
$ 66 billion for home health
$ 17 billion for hospice services
It’s original adjustments were projected to be $538 billion in savings
Now its savings are projected to be $716 billion
Republicans keep the money for the insurance companies
Insurance companies get $970 per month for each beneficiary in their Advantage program (9% more than a traditional Medicare beneficiary)
 The beneficiary is out of Medicare but protected by Medicare requirements
 Democrats reinvest the money for benefits to seniors
 Cuts money to insurance companies and hospitals not benefits
 Closes the “donut hole” so your drugs will be significantly cheaper
 This the single biggest annual cost for a senior
 Medicare will cover cancer screenings and annual checkups
• Who protects Medicare?
The Republicans will let the program go bankrupt in 2016
 Costs go up and lose benefits
 Democrats extend the date to 2024
• Medicare has choices and means testing
 In South Carolina we have a choice of 44 of plans
 Medicare has had means testing since 2003
 For individuals with adjusted income of $80,000 and joint filers with $160,000
• So what do the parties protect?
 Republicans protect the providers
 Continue the “fee for service” and rely on the private market to control costs
 Offer choice
 Democrats protect beneficiaries
 Instituting “fee for results” and use government policy to control costs
 Offer stability
 Most beneficiaries want stability not choices
 75% of today’s senior choose stability
 45% of all Medicare beneficiaries have chronic conditions
 The average 65 year old uses 11 medications

• Medicare and the Affordable Care Act are laws and frameworks
 Neither needs to be repealed
 They just need to be modified to reflect the public needs
 ACA changes projected growth of medical costs from 6.8% to 3.9%
• The real issue is the cost of healthcare
• Medicaid is cut by $1.2 Trillion in Ryan’s budget
 Hurts seniors with disabilities and long-term care needs
• US medical costs are 33% higher than all developed countries
 We spend so much more and have a shorter life expectancy
 15% of GDP and live to age 78
 Others under 10% of GDP and live 81 -84

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2012/08/15-medicare-cuts-galston
http://www.dartmouthatlas.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/0-2/12/us/entitlement-map.html?ref=us
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/medicare/index.html
http://medpac.gov/documents/Jun12DataBookEntireReport.pdf
http://www.kff.org/medicare/



Booster

(10,021 posts)
9. Wow. Thanks for this post. I wll bookmark it and probably use it over and over again.
Mon Sep 17, 2012, 12:08 AM
Sep 2012

And welcome to DU - you're going to be a real asset around here.

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