Medicare Advantage Plans Essay

According to the article, Health insurer stocks slip over achievable Medicargon good payment cuts, after a bad week at the stocks it may lead to Medicare improvement allowance cuts in 2014. That could lead to reduced polish offage or less buying externalizes for persons 65 years and older, the disabled and people who have end-stage renal disease. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said after markets closed be per person for Medicare reinforcement plans to fall more than 2 percent in 2014, a bigger drop than m both analysts who cover the industry anticipated (Associated Press, 2013).Medicare utility plans could see payment reductions topping 5 percent, considering they are also set about cuts from the health care reform and from steep federal budget cuts known as sequestration that are slated to start in March (Associated Press, 2013). Medicare Advantage plans are a key source of growth for insurers. It allows Medicare to expand basic coverage topped with visi on or dental coverage, or offer premiums lower than shopworn Medicare Rates (Associated Press, 2013). The Advantage plans help cuts costs and negotiate reimbursement with showrs to help keep costs down.A Medicare Advantage Plan is a type of Medicare health plan offered by a private comp any(prenominal) that contracts with Medicare to provide the citizen with all their Part A and Part B benefits. Medicare Advantage Plans include Health Maintenance Organizations, favourite(a) Provider Organizations, Private Fee-for-Service Plans, Special Needs Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account Plans. If enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare services are covered through the plan and arent paid for under Original Medicare (Medicare.gov, n.d.). chthonic each plan there are different coverages. For psychometric testple under a PPO you pay less(prenominal) for use of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers that belong in your plans network. If you choose to go elsewhere youll pay a larger premium. With an HMO, you cant get your health care from any doctor, other health care provider or hospital. You must get your care and services from providers in that network (Medicare.gov, n.d.).Per Medicare News Watch, the one-year estimated out-of-pocket costs for Medicare Advantage Plan members in 2013, including applicable copayments, deductibles, and premiums will vary from state to state. This website ranks all plans within the state and gives you an modal(a) on how more than youll play per plan whether your health is good, fair or poor. For Massachusetts, a citizen can pay anywhere from $727-6712 on average per year depending on their health status.In the West Palm Beach area of Florida, it will costs between $106-4178 a year (Hmos4seniors.com, 2013). Considering a good majority of these patients dont have much expendable income its hard to think that these prices may increase and that there will be fewer options as well. I personally know elderly and disabled on these types of plans and they have expressed that any increases will be a hardship on all of them. The health status is defined per the map below (Hmos4seniors.com, 2013) Health Status GOODRequiring occ. routine care Health Status FAIRRequiring periodic care for non-chronic conditions Health Status POOR Requiring chronic diseasecare and managementLow annual utilization- 4 Doctor office trims (in-network) 1 Urgent care visit (out-of-area) 0 Inpatient admissions 0 Home health visits 6 Prescriptions (30 day supply) 1 Vision, hearing exams 1 Dental prevention visit Moderate annual utilization- 12 Doctor office visits (in-network) 1 extremity room visit 1 Inpatient admission (5 days) 4 Home health visits 24 Prescriptions (2 per month) 1 Vision, hearing exam 1 Dental prevention visit High annual utilization- 24 Doctor office visits (in-network) 2 Emergency room visits 3 Inpatient admissions (15 days) 12 Home health visits 72 Prescriptions (6 per month) 1 Vision, hearing ex am 1 Dental prevention visitReferencesHmos4seniors.com (2013). MedicareNewsWatch.com Medicare Advantage Plan Cost Comparisons in Major Cities passim the United States. online Retrieved from http//www.hmos4seniors.com/costcomparisons.html Accessed 25 Feb 2013. Medicare.gov (n.d.). Medicare Advantage Plans Medicare.gov. online Retrieved from http//www.medicare.gov/sign-up-change-plans/medicare-health-plans/medicare-advantage-plans/medicare-advantage-plans.html Accessed 25 Feb 2013. Associated Press (2013). Health insurer stocks slip over possible Medicare Advantage payment cuts. The Washington Post, 19th February.