Reply #8: Medicare Advantage [View All]

is what my husband and I can afford. It saves us a ton of money with copays and deductibles. It also includes a drug plan so that we don't have to pay a cent for my husbands 3 generic meds. In spite of all that, I worry that if one of us should get very sick, what kind of care we would get. As of right now, my husband has been asking for a referral for a colonoscopy. He had a large non-cancerous polyp removed at the VA. The VA told him to come back for a 6-month follow-up colonoscopy. That was 5 years ago. Then he turned 65 and we got Medicare Advantage. Now doctor keeps telling him "there's a long waiting list" for a colonoscopy and never gives a referral for it. ??? So what there's a waiting list? Why doesn't he get him on the waiting list? Will it harm his income if he does? I don't know. To top it all off, my hubby's mother DIED from colon cancer. The MA doctor has never referred of us for a routine chest x-ray either. We do get EKG's (in his office), blood work, mammograms, etc. The routine blood work and examinations are fully covered though. We have very reasonable copays for specialists and hospitalization - much, much less than Medicare. We have no deductible. If we have to stop Medicare Advantage and go to Medicare, we will probably have to cut back on preventive care, etc. I would have nothing against these insurance company MA subsidies going into Medicare if it brought about similar coverage in Medicare itself. This is my biggest worry about reform, although I'm seriously considering going to Medicare and dropping the MA plan just so we can get what we need (even though I don't know how we can pay for it). Damnit all, I hope Obama comes up with something as good for us as MA for the pocketbook and as good as Medicare for health care options.

Single payer - WHERE ARE YOU?