(For more on the national implications of health care reform on United States Medicare, see theabcsofmedicare blog here.)
Beginning a few weeks ago, we began to see the effects of the cuts to Part C Medicare health plans in Massachusetts mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 as amended. We saw Part C Medicare Advantage plans being dropped in Northern New England and I knew personally that my own Worcester-County-Massachusetts plan from the Democratic Party's Tufts Health Insurance organization was going up about 10% in price. As of the October 1, 2015 release of the Medicare Plan Finder and organization of the data by research organizations such as q1medicare.com, now we begin to see the bigger picture. It ain't pretty.
Whereas Obama administration propaganda says things such as:
"...the average Medicare Advantage premium will go up for 2015 by about $1.30 (a month)... CMS says most plan members will not see any increases."
...it is more accurate to go by what has actually happened in the real world away from the Goebbels' disciples who work for President Obama. In Worcester County MA, my legal residence, the monthly cost of the three most popular Medicare Advantage plans (accounting for about 50% of the Medicare Advantage membership in the county) has gone up as follows:
- United Healthcare (AARP) Medicare CompleteChoice -- premium up 33% from $30 to $40 a month, a lot more than $1.30
- Medicare PPO Blue PlusRx -- The annual drug deductible went up to $200 from $0 and the montly premium went up 24%, from $124 to $153. Combining those two factors alone -- before we know what Blue Cross of Massachusetts did to co-pays -- the typical increase is $50 more a month -- not $1.30
- Medicare HMO Blue PlusRx1 -- The annual drug deductible went up to $200 from $120 and the monthly premium went up 16%, from $167 to $193. Combining those two factors alone -- before we know what Blue Cross of Massachusetts did to co-pays -- the typical increase is $35 more a month -- not $1.30
No plans appear to have gone down in monthly cost effectively or even absolutely (not counting the fifty cent monthly decrease I wrote about on September 21) but a few Part C plan premiums were held at the same rate. But raising the annual drug deductible by $100 or more a month, makes the same premium actually 10% to 20% higher in the typical case.
In Worcester County, Massachusetts, Medicare Advantage is used disproportionately by the urban and rural lower middle class and minorities. This game with averages played by Obama's minions is one way the government gets to claim everything is fine while the lower middle class seniors dependent on these plans pay more for their health coverage so people not yet on Medicare -- some making over $60,000 a year -- can get large income tax breaks from the Federal government.
NOTE: No-drug-coverage and Medicare/Medicaid Medicare Advantage plans in Worcester County were compared year over year in detail but a quick scan indicates similar effective double-digit increases.
1This plan is listed on q1medicare.com as the third most popular normal (non-Medicare/Medicaid) plan but is not listed on Medicare Plan Finder for either year as of October 1, 2014