Bruce – Colorado
Bruce’s Story
It is not “was” but what “is” my experience with a Medicare Advantage plan. Previously my medical insurance plan was sponsored and run my Church (nationally)–as I am a retired clergy. It was good, but the Church chose to go with a Humana Medicare Advantage Plan for whatever its reasons were. I had no problems with the previous Church supplement and Medicare sponsored plan. So far, I have no problems with the Humana plan. But, when Church was about to adopt an MA plan, I objected–because it was insurance company administered plan. I stated that insurance company sponsored Medicare Advantage plans have one goal–profit. Medicare is government sponsored and non-profit. I do not like the primary motive to be profit (The Church did not change back to Medicare). One thing that seemed to be stepped up, as I entered the “Advantage” plan, is the first question asked whenever I enter a medical clinic is, “How are you going to pay?” The second concern I hear is that the clinic will say that they have to call my insurance plan to check if it will cover my issue, and pay. The insurance company is telling the doctor what he could do? I don’t like that. That’s between the doctor and me! A modifying thought for me, that may redeem MA plans for a while in my mind, is that I’ve learned that Federal Medicare contracts out to regional companies to administer Medicare. Is that similar to an MA plan with the appearance of a true original Medicare plan? Overall cost is another reason to end MA. With hundreds of MA plans out there, think of the office cost to manage it all!
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