When it comes to Medicare seventy five percent of people have traditional Medicare and twenty five percent have Medicare Advantage
In all of our 10 On your Side Health Care Help Lines overwhelming callers have wondered about changes to Medicare.
A "webinar" is just one of the ways Shannon Abell, Director of The League of Older Americans is being updated about the future of Medicare.
He says for many people benefits will get better,"Traditional medicare will be there and added benefits have been put into traditional medicare it's gong to be much nicer."
Especially when it comes to preventive screenings for things like cancer and diabetes. In the past people on Medicare had to pay 20 percent of screening costs out of pocket, under the new reform one hundred percent of that will be paid for by Medicare.
Eventually prescription costs will get much better.
Abell says, "The infamous doughnut hole is going to be eliminated."
That won't happen for another ten years but medicines will be more affordable in the meantime and Abell says don't worry about losing your doctor.
He says, "A lot of people were concerned that doctors would drop out of medicare. According to everything I have read doctor's payments will not be cut because of health care reform."
He adds, "The only thing that is really being hurt is the pockets of insurance companies who sell Medicare Part C."
Traditional Medicare looks like it will get better. For the other 25 percent of people who pay premiums for Medicare Advantage plans that provide extra benefits like dental and vision Bill Kallio, Virginia's AARP Director says he thinks the companies that are providing quality services will remain in business.
Kallio says, "Each plan will have to make its own decision. But check out the changes that are being made to Medicare if you have a strong Medicare Advantage plan that is really in this market... delivering quality care I think you are going to see those plans stay."
And he says traditional Medicare will eventually provide some of the benefits people get under Medicare Advantage now.
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