Now that it is open season for Medicare Advantage (MA), the TV ads and telephone marketing calls are ramping up. Do not be fooled by these solicitations. They are not trying to provide health care for you as a supplement to Medicare, although that may happen by accident, they are there simply to make money and steal from the Medicare Trust Fund. So far, the overall theft record for these insurance companies is staggering: Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have overcharged the federal government to the tune of $612 billion since 2007—and $82 billion last year [2023] alone. If you are a worker who is paying into Medicare through payroll deductions, that is your money flying out your door and into the coffers of these insurance companies.
I invite you to read “Less Care at Higher Cost—The Medicare Advantage Paradox” on the website of the Journal of the American Medical Association. This piece provides an overview of the grand theft by MA insurers. Even doctors abhor these medical mafioso because of the enormous amount of time wasted in arguing with MA insurers about prior authorization. Hospitals, many of which are as money-grubbing as MA, don't like MA, as you can read here: Medicare (Dis)Advantage - Even Hospitals Don’t Like It.
So, before you fall for the allure of the lower costs and “freebies” of MA, please inform yourself. Information is your power over MA. Those representatives at the other end of the phone line are not your friends, they are there to SELL a product which is well beyond its sell-by date. Below, I have provided links to my most recent articles on MA. Each one, in turn, contains valuable and informative links to articles and websites that call out MA for what it is, grand theft.
Comments by Readers
Dick Conoboy
Oct 24, 2024To all my readers,
I am now getting messages asking me for assistance with MA plans, what to do and where to go. I really don’t have any advice on navigating the system. What I am trying to do with my articles is to get people to understand what a rip-off MA is and how it is destroying Medicare by stealing from the trust fund. Unfortunately, I do not have the knowledge about alternatives under the present (and ghastly) system. The best bet for the present is to exchange info with others who are looking at MA. Check the internet for suggestions. You will not likely find the perfect way to deal with this monster that the government has created. Be practical with what you know and what you can find out. Write your senators and congressional reps and tell them enough is enough. Stop the steal!