Healthcare Hullabaloo: The Deer Hunter

It’s hunting season again.

Deer hunters in Day-Glo Orange junp suits have been sighted at WaWa, sipping coffee in the dark-early, fortifying themselves for a day sitting up a tree on an uncomfortable piece of metal.

Turkey hunters are practicing their calls, hoping to entice some fat Tom into shotgun range.

Slick, fast-talking pitchmen are reaching out to senior citizens, imploring them to enroll in their Medicare programs.

Just like that 5 point buck or Tom Turkey, those poor seniors who answer their call are in for a nasty surprise.

Believe it or not, Medicare is great health insurance. It covers almost every medical procedure a person may need. Plus, the US Government puts a strict limit on what providers can charge Medicare patients, and this fee is much less then the going rate. If a procedure is denied by Medicare (unless the patient agreed to it up front) the provider cannot balance bill the patient.

Medicare is not free, of course. The patient is responsible for a co=payment that amounts to 20% of the government mandated rate, Fortunately, there is supplemental insurance that can cover even this expense.

Medicare is not perfect, however. There are things that is basic Medicare does not cover at all, like prescription medications. However, there are supplemental insurance plans that cover these expenses.

Most seniors these days can afford the out of pocket expenses from traditional Medicare. Unfortunately, some cannot. These poor souls are the ones targeted by the TV pitchmen.

For several years now, the government has allowed ‘private’ health insurance carriers to operate their own form of Medicare. Patients who opt for this coverage lose their traditional coverage and receive their coverage through one of these alternate plans, which are, in effect, a HMO.

Seniors are enticed by promises of lower co-pays, free gym memberships, and prescription coverage, but they usually don’t realize what they lose – great, cover-all health insurance. Once they sigh on the bottom line, for the next year at least, they are subject to greatly reduced coverage under the HMO plan. What sounded great on TV often becomes a sad story of seniors being denied access to health care that was covered by traditional Medicare.

I pity these hapless souls, just like I pity that beautiful Buck tied to the hood of that Chevy pickup in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Like Joni said, “don’t is always seem to go….”

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