Over A Half Trillion Dollars Stolen From Medicare - Sen. Patty Murray Is OK With That

The $600 Billion Swindle
Over A Half Trillion Dollars Stolen From Medicare - Sen. Patty Murray Is OK With That
Over A Half Trillion Dollars Stolen From Medicare - Sen. Patty Murray Is OK With That
“Citing the nonpartisan Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the paper [Less Care at Higher Cost—The Medicare Advantage Paradox] notes that Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have overcharged the federal government to the tune of $612 billion since 2007—and $82 billion last year alone.” [A $600 Billion Swindle]
Several weeks ago, I contacted the office of Senator Patty Murphy, our senator here in Washington state, about the monumental theft from the Medicare Trust Fund caused by the continued existence and promotion of Medicare Advantage. My exact message to Sen. Murray is not available because within her website, like most such websites of members of Congress, the “supplicants,” AKA “we the voters,” are presented with a message form in which to enter comments. Invariably it is a form that does not present you, the constituent, with a dated, comeback copy of the message sent.
This is Murray's clueless and dissembling response to me in its entirety. I have highlighted in red some of her commentary.
Dear Mr. Conoboy,
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about the Medicare Advantage program. I appreciate hearing from you about this critical issue.
Like you, I strongly believe our seniors deserve a health care system that works for them and puts their needs first. That is why I have long fought to defend the Medicare program, including making sure seniors have the option of enrolling in Medicare Advantage. Today, 32 million Americans are enrolled in Medicare Advantage, including 688,000 Washingtonians, and have found that the plans offered meet their coverage needs. I remain committed to working to ensure all beneficiaries have a choice between Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare.
As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, I will stand up for Washington State seniors to make sure that they receive the quality and affordable health care they deserve. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to fight back against any proposals from Congressional Republicans that could negatively impact both Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me. The views of Washingtonians are very important to my work. If you would like to know more about my work in the U.S. Senate, feel free to sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates. Please keep in touch.
Note that Murray only identifies Republicans as the threat to Medicare. In fact, while Medicare Advantage was created in its present form in 2003 under Bush II, it survived and flourished and was plundered for eight years under the Democratic administration of Obama/Biden. And so far, the Democratic administration of Biden/Harris have added an additional three+ years. Democrats own… lock, stock, and barrel… MA and the attendant conditions allowing this monumental thievery from its trust fund since its creation.
Murray completely ignores the facts around MA's high costs to Medicare and the blatant denial of medical treatment to MA insureds through prior authorization requirements. She chairs the Senate's powerful Committee on Appropriations and is a member of the Committee on the Budget. The U.S. Senate, to which she manifestly belongs, has looked at these issues, so her pretended ignorance cannot be anything but willful.
“Medicare Advantage has faced scrutiny surrounding its marketing policies and prior authorization requirements. The Senate Finance Committee highlighted misleading advertisements and aggressive in-person tactics employed by health plans, brokers, and third-party marketers.” [healthpayerintelligence.com]
Also ignored by Murray were the additional programs set up to steal from Medicare, that is, Direct Contracting Entities and its evil scion, ACO Reach. Complaints about ACO Reach were so numerous and effective that they caused the suspension of further expansion of the program. Locally, PeaceHealth jumped at the chance to create a Direct Contracting Entity a few years back. For more about that, see my article, “The Blob” or Peace Health’s Latest Expansion Gambit.”
As I have said before, that Medicare Advantage hand feeling about in your pocket is not looking for a good time, it is looking for your wallet. You can get in touch with Sen Murray through her website Working for Washington State. Tell her what you think about her seemingly insouciant attitude toward the monumental plunder of the Medicare Trust Fund. You can also copy and send this article to her here, right now.
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