The feds are using liberal Democrat Andy Griffith to try to convince seniors that “good things are coming” with ObamaCare. The reality is that seniors — particularly those with Medicare Advantage plans — are in for a very bad shock. Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute reveals what the feds are hoping Andy can get seniors to believe is “good” for them.
It’s true that Medicare Advantage patients cost the government more than regular Medicare patients. But MA patients also get more — more benefits even than the government is paying for.
Medicare Advantage plans are health maintenance organization plans that are provided by private insurers. These plans offer far more choice than traditional government care, so they’ve become very popular in recent years.
The number of MA enrollees nearly doubled from 5.3 million in 2003 to 10.2 million in 2009. Currently about 22 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage plans, and cuts to this program will affect a sizable portion of our seniors — making them worse off.
Medicare Advantage is also more cost-effective for taxpayers. Unlike its government-run brethren, Medicare Advantage doesn’t shift costs onto the privately insured, which means that when MA is cut, and more people shift over to regular Medicare, those extra costs will be borne by the privately insured.
