Why does Medicare Advantage work?
Medicare advantage works because you can chose what fits you. You can pick from one of 4 categories: Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Private Fee-for-Service Plans or Medicare Special Needs Plans. It helps to fill the gap between your insurance and what you can not afford. Sources: http://www.medicare.gov/choices/advantage.
Medicare Advantage plans are available in many areas of the country. A company can decide, with Medicare’s approval, that a plan will be available to everyone with Medicare in a state, or be open only in certain counties or parts of counties. A company may also choose to offer more than one plan in an area, with different benefits and costs. Medicare pays a set amount of money for your care every month to these private health plans. In turn, the Medicare Advantage plan manages the Medicare coverage for its members. If Medicare Advantage plans are available in your area, and you have Medicare Part A and Part B, you can join one and get your Medicare-covered benefits through the plan. These plans often give you more choices and, sometimes, extra benefits, like extra days in the hospital. The plan may have special rules that you need to follow. You may also have to pay a monthly premium for the extra benefits. Sources:
Patients generally like Medicare. It is a largely government-run program then does seem acceptable to many Americans. Medicare Advantage seems to go one step further, getting doctors and patient more intimately connected via regular contact. For instance, nurses might “call some patients regularly, so they develop real relationships. Original, fee-for-service Medicare has never been geared to prevention or disease management, but that is what we emphasize. This is an important part of controlling costs. The “extra” money politicians talk about in Medicare Advantage plans pays for this, and it’s well spent — the Centers for Disease Control says 70 percent of all medical costs go toward preventable conditions, like Type 2 diabetes and cardiac care.” Sources: http://www.tampabay.
