skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Medicare "Advantage" Could Mean Disadvantage for NY Seniors

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 4, 2007   

Albany, NY - A U.S. Senate committee faces a major decision soon that could limit healthcare options for 2.8 million New Yorkers. At issue is a pending 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors, which some say should be headed off by reducing payments to insurance companies instead. The cut would take effect in January.

If that happens, says Neal Lane, a member of the American Association of Retired Persons' (AARP) Executive Council, it would limit the number of doctors available to help New York seniors and others on Medicare. Lane believes Senators should cut "excess payments" that insurance companies receive to run the Medicare Advantage plan, rather than cutting payments to doctors.

"That is absolutely the wrong thing to do; we need increasing access to good primary care for older adults."

Insurers say the payments they receive are in line with the services they provide, but the Congressional Budget Office reports they're paid 12 percent more than the cost of care.

Dr. Wayne Hannan, who practices in Wayne County and is vice president of the Medical Society of the State of New York, says Senators need to choose between helping insurance companies, and helping New York seniors and the poor who can't afford their medical bills.

"The issue is reaching a crisis point. We're just one month a way from when this formula will devolve into a 10 percent payment reduction, and that's going to have a very serious impact on seniors' access to healthcare."

Insurance companies argue they need the 12 percent additional reimbursement to administer the Medicare Advantage Plan, but the AARP's Neal Lane says it's excessive when you look at what patients get.

"I have not seen any evidence whatsoever that the outcomes for the consumer within Medicare Advantage Plans are any better than the traditional Medicare fee-for-service plans, so we're paying a premium of 12 percent for essentially the same outcome."

The issue will be before the Senate Finance Committee this week. The AARP is calling on Finance Committee member Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) to protect Medicare beneficiaries' access to doctors, and to strengthen assistance for low-income New Yorkers.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021