Reply #7: My experience with Medicare Advantage programs is from my husband's [View All]

experience. He signed up with one and in that moment lost all his Medicare rights. He was then subject to the HMO's rules. We found out the hard way that few doctors in our area accepted them so his choice of primary physicians was very narrow. Then we got stuck with ten thousand dollars in medical bills because when he had a stroke, we were out in the forest, and I called 9-11 directly after running a couple of miles to a pay phone instead of calling the HMO to get permission first. So they denied everything, the ambulance, the air ambulance, the hospital the MRIs, everything because we didn't follow that one rule. I switched him to traditional Medicare after that and got him a medi-gap policy, which worked out fine when he got end stage renal disease, which the HMO didn't cover either. I too, have traditional Medicare with a medi-gap. It costs extra, but if you have the money to do it, it's the best way to go. I have had few problems with it. I recently reluctantly signed with Medicare Part D, because my pills are getting too expensive. I'm not happy with the fact that you are forced to sign up with a private insurance company for it. There is no government option like there should be.

I would really like to see the Medicare Advantage and Part D programs phased out and replaced with a traditional Medicare that covers the 20% co-pays and prescription drug coverage. This would help the drain Medicare is feeling from the insurance companies feeding at the trough. This is why Medicare is going broke, the Medicare Advantage programs and Medicare Part D draining it. Get the insurance companies out and it will be solvent again. It can cover most basic care 100% with a little extra funding and it can be made solvent again.