So, as Tony Soprano used to say, "Whaddya gonna do?"

My hope in answering that question during Medicare "Open Season" is to allow you to avoid Medicare (Dis)Advantage like the plague. It is a government sanctioned rip-off which has caused incalculable suffering (physical, psychological, and financial) since its inception two decades ago. That being said, I recommend that you first read my article from last year at this time, "Medicare Advantage Open Season And YOU Are The $$$ Target." Why is that?  Because with respect to Medicare (Dis)Advantage little has changed with either the program or within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), except that the organization is now truly the Land of Oz following the appointment of the controversial Mehmet Oz, the new director of CMS.  

Under RELATED LINKS below, I have included links to some of my most recent articles on Medicare (Dis)Advantage to assist your decision making during this Open Season. If you are already in Medicare (Dis)Advantage, your choices are essentially to look for another (Dis)Advantage plan that may or may not be better or revert to Traditional Medicare. The National Council on Aging has some information on reverting (click HERE ) to include the open season dates for 2025. How poor the (Dis)Advantage plans are will be revealed when the inevitable prior authorizations kick in and your services or treatments are not authorized, or are severely limited or not reimbursed.  

The site of Physicians for a National Health Plan (PNHP) has some excellent information on Medicare (Dis)Advanatage. Their report on this program is especially helpful in understanding the harms; I have quoted a portion below.

"Medicare Advantage (MA), the privately-administered version of Traditional Medicare (TM), is causing significant harm to America’s patients, providers, and health care system. The insurers who run MA plans claim that they lead to better patient care and outcomes while saving money, but this is far from the truth.

Patients who sign up for Medicare Advantage are forced to deal with narrow networks which heavily restrict their access to physicians and hospitals, and are often misled about the size of these networks through inaccurate listings. They must seek prior authorization for many of the tests, treatments, and other procedures ordered by their doctor, often waiting days or weeks just to be inappropriately denied approval for necessary health care. These delays can have serious consequences for a patient’s health, even sometimes resulting in death"

A full pdf copy of the report can also be found below under RELATED FILES.  

Remember that those TV ads on the various Medicare (Dis)Advantage plans are run by private insurance companies whose incentive is profit, unlike the government run Traditional Medicare where the profit incentive is not present. The representatives answering the phones for these companies are there to extract money from Medicare clients and to get you signed up with promises of extras that you will likely never use. Your health is secondary to their primary mission...essentially PROFIT. Caveat emptor!*  

Finally, if you want a recap of all the above or you just don't enjoy reading, you can watch this 30 minute video (with adult humor) of John Oliver explaining Medicare Advantage. It is very accurate and informative while entertaining viewers at the same time.  Click HERE for the presentation. 

*Let the buyer beware.