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Instead Of Being More Efficient, Private Insurers' Medicare Advantage Plans Have Cost Medicare Almost $300 Billion More Over The Life Of The Program

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/260424.php

Medical News Today, May 14, 2013

A study published online finds that the private insurance companies that participate in Medicare under the Medicare Advantage program and its predecessors have cost the publicly funded program for the elderly and disabled an extra $282.6 billion since 1985, most of it over the past eight years. In 2012 alone, private insurers were overpaid $34.1 billion.

That's wasted money that should have been spent on improving patient care, shoring up Medicare's trust fund or reducing the federal deficit, the researchers say.

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Controlling Rising Health Care Costs: Medicare Is the Solution, Not the Problem

By Joe Baker, President, Medicare Rights Center

Posted: 11/13/2012 for Huff Post Politics

Although Election Day is behind us, Medicare remains on American's minds. Medicare ranked third to the economy and federal deficit as an issue of extreme importance in deciding how Americans voted. For months now, pundits, candidates and policymakers have wrestled one another about Medicare's future. Taking place at town hall meetings and on editorial pages, these battles were mostly waged in fiscal terms. Medicare's sustainability, the fiscal slope, and the cost of insuring the Baby Boomers are hot topics for debate. Attention will now turn from the candidates' promises to their actual proposals.

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Post election deficit deal threatens Medicare and Social Security

By: Kay Tillow Saturday October 6, 2012 2:46 pm

The solution is Improved Medicare for All

After the November election, there will be a major effort in Congress to pass a budget deal that will make cuts in Social Security, raise the Medicare and Social Security eligibility age, and perhaps more–unless we act to stop it with a solution that is close at hand. 

There is agreement from the Wall Street Journal’s David Wessel to liberal economists Dean Baker and Paul Krugman that the pressure will be on to reach a Simpson/Bowles type of compromise.  Such a bipartisan plan would damage our most cherished programs and excuse the dastardly deed by asserting that the cuts are small and necessary because of the deficit. 

Those who relentlessly scream at us and finance ads to persuade us that the deficit threatens our grandchildren are obscuring the truth.  The fact is that the transfer of wealth from public funds and the rest of us to the super rich is the real crisis.  But those who have gorged themselves on this massive transfer of wealth also seek to undermine the Medicare and Social Security which are our grandchildren’s heritage from generations of struggles for a better life.

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Sen. Ron Wyden rejects Ryan's debate claim he supports GOP Medicare plan

By Sam Baker – published in The Hill “Heath Watch” 10/12/12

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) did not appreciate Paul Ryan calling him a supporter of the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan during Thursday's vice presidential debate.

Ryan mentioned his work with Wyden to argue that his Medicare proposal could garner bipartisan support in Congress. Romney and Ryan's plan is based on the proposal that Ryan and Wyden released earlier this year — over strong complaints from Wyden's fellow Democrats.

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Post election deficit deal threatens Medicare and Social Security

The solution is Improved Medicare for All
by Kay Tillow, published in My FDL Oct. 6, 2012

After the November election, there will be a major effort in Congress to pass a budget deal that will make cuts in Social Security, raise the Medicare and Social Security eligibility age, and perhaps more–unless we act to stop it with a solution that is close at hand.
 
There is agreement from the Wall Street Journal’s David Wessel to liberal economists Dean Baker and Paul Krugman that the pressure will be on to reach a Simpson/Bowles type of compromise.  Such a bipartisan plan would damage our most cherished programs and excuse the dastardly deed by asserting that the cuts are small and necessary because of the deficit.

Read more. . .

The Romney–Ryan Medicare Wrecking Ball

The Romney-Ryan promise to “protect and strengthen Medicare” does not auger well for Americans looking forward to retirement, or concerned about aging parents. Since 1964, seniors facing the medical and financial uncertainties that come with advancing years have had Medicare’s guarantee of access to health care and payment of covered benefits. It has been a godsend for the aged fearing or facing sickness and hard times, and assurance to families who might otherwise have to cope with mom and dad’s inability to pay their medical bills. 

In 2012, health care security is a paramount concern as our population ages. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that “nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries have three or more chronic conditions, nearly one-third have a cognitive or mental impairment, and more than one-fourth report being in fair or poor health.” Additionally, as a category, Medicare beneficiaries depend on Social Security as their primary source of income, with almost half of them living on incomes of less than twice the federal poverty level.

Prospectively, Romney-Ryan would effectively deny people like them — the aged, infirm and impecunious — Medicare’s uniform, comprehensive benefits. Instead, a senior, perhaps with mental impairment, diabetes, high blood pressure or a history of arrhythmia, a fixed-amount...

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