Tag Archives: CMS

Gag Order Does Not Apply to the Censors

May 28, 2010 John Goodman 7 Comments

During the debate over ObamaCare last fall, the Administration threatened health insurance companies who were informing seniors of potential losses of Medicare Advantage (MA) benefits. As far as I could tell, the mailings were completely truthful and consistent with the CBO and CMS estimates. Medicare’s Chief Actuary, for example, predicts that eventually as many as 7.4 million beneficiaries will lose their MA plan altogether and another 7.4 million will experience a loss of benefits.

This week the very same agency that gagged the insurers is sending out a propaganda pamphlet to more than 40 million Medicare beneficiaries – extolling the benefits of the new law, but ignoring all the costs (including the fact that more than half the cost of health reform is to be paid for by reduced Medicare spending). The pamphlet even claims that MA enrollees will be better off!

Republicans are outraged [gated]. CMS says it only wants to help seniors avoid confusion. But won’t the biggest confusion come when their MA plans are cancelled?

Policy Updates

Health Reform Policy Update

December 10, 2009 John Goodman 4 Comments

NPR fact checks Medicare Advantage cuts discussed by McConnell: Ignores CMS, CBO and other estimates of harm to the elderly.

SEIU discovers free market health care abroad: Can’t understand why we don’t have it in this country.

Seniors

CMS Speaks Out: ObamaCare Will Hurt Seniors

November 16, 2009 John Goodman 4 Comments

A plan to slash more than $500 billion from future Medicare spending… would sharply reduce benefits for some senior citizens and could jeopardize access to care for millions of others.

Full Washington Post report here.

Seniors

House Bill Has Bad News for Seniors: Two-Thirds Would Lose Medicare Advantage Plans

October 23, 2009 John Goodman 6 Comments

This is from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Chief Actuary’s report:

“Providers for whom Medicare constitutes a substantive portion of their business could find it difficult to remain profitable and might end their participation in the program (possibly jeopardizing access to care for beneficiaries).” [Page 8]
“The Medicare Advantage rebate cuts would result in “less generous benefit packages.” [Page 8]
“Enrollment in MA plans would decrease by about 64 percent.” [Page 8]
“The additional demand for health services could be difficult to meet initially with existing health provider resources and could lead to price increases, cost-shifting, and/or changes in providers’ willingness to treat patients with low-reimbursement health coverage.” [Page 14]

Policy Updates