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Seniors Oppose Cuts to Medicare Advantage Program

Posted on: Friday, 20 June 2008, 03:00 CDT

New survey conducted jointly by Ayres, McHenry & Associates and the Feldman Group on behalf of America's Health Insurance Plans has revealed that most seniors, regardless of whether they are enrolled in traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage, oppose cutting the Medicare Advantage program to fund the Medicare physician payment fix.

The survey says that cuts to Medicare Advantage will have a negative effect on seniors. The poll found that seniors in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage generally agree about how to approach the physician payment issue.

By a three-to-one ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a six-to-one ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, seniors oppose cutting Medicare Advantage instead of cutting payments for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

By a four-to-one ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a five-to-one ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, most seniors believe cuts to the Medicare Advantage program will have a negative impact on seniors in Medicare health plans.

Half of seniors enrolled in traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage oppose the scheduled cut in payments to doctors. However, by more than a five-to-one ratio among traditional Medicare enrollees and a 13-to-one ratio among Medicare Advantage enrollees, seniors prefer cutting other programs besides Medicare Advantage or raising taxes to offset the spending needed to stop a scheduled cut in physician payments.

The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of seniors enrolled in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage are satisfied with their coverage.

According to the survey, 92% of Medicare Advantage enrollees and 93% of traditional Medicare enrollees are satisfied with their doctor; 87% of Medicare Advantage enrollees and 93% of traditional Medicare seniors never had to change their doctors because their doctors either stopped treating Medicare patients or left their plans; 89% of Medicare Advantage enrollees and 62% of traditional Medicare enrollees believe it is important for seniors to have the choice of a plan other than traditional Medicare, such as a Medicare Advantage plan.

Whitfield Ayres, president of Ayres, McHenry & Associates, said: "Medicare Advantage enrollees overwhelmingly believe that cutting their program will have a negative effect on seniors."

Source: Datamonitor

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