‘HealthWeek’ Profiles the ‘Future’ of Medicare+Choice Plans
Last week, PBS' "HealthWeek," produced in cooperation with the Kaiser Family Foundation, focused on the "nation's ailing Medicare system" and the future of the Medicare+Choice program. Mathematica Policy Research Inc.'s Marsha Gold, who has published research on Medicare+Choice in the journal Health Affairs, said, "[Medicare+Choice] has not been successful at all. Basically, there are fewer people in the program now than before it started. And with a couple of exceptions, there really aren't any other kinds of choices than the kinds of choices that existed before." Regarding the future of the program, CongressDaily's Julie Rovner said, "If you live in an area where Medicare pays quite a bit, you'll probably have plans remaining in your area, but because costs are going up so fast, you'll probably pay more for that plan. ... If you live in areas where Medicare doesn't pay so well, you may not have any choice of health plans. You may have to go back to the traditional Medicare program and if you can, get private supplemental Medigap insurance" ("HealthWeek", 10/19). A complete transcript of the show is available online.
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