Medicare Disadvantage Press Advisory - Wednesday, 10/2 at LOB
Liz Dupont-Diehl
PRESS ADVISORY
Date: October 2, 2024, 12:30 PM
Location: Legislative Office Building, Room 1B
Topic: The Disadvantages of Medicare Advantage
Contact: Dr. Phil Brewer, PNHP, (203) 376-4684 (text) philbr...@gmail.com
Don’t Believe the Ads: Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Warning
HARTFORD and STATEWIDE – As insurance companies gear up to spend millions on advertising, leaders are calling out the dangers of so-called Medicare Advantage plans, which are depriving retirees of the health care they need.
A press conference October 2 will include remarks by US Senator Richard Blumenthal and Connecticut State Senator Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor; Dr. Phil Brewer of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) Connecticut; and Gloria Bent of Hartford, whose husband was denied critical services by Medicare Advantage just before his death.
“Medicare Advantage plans seem valuable at their outset, but far too many members of these programs find themselves struggling,” said Senator Anwar. “They join programs expecting low costs and high quality service, but all too often find themselves denied services and experience delays due to their insurance approvals, all the while paying spiking costs. They’re great plans for people who don’t need much medical care; once that care becomes necessary, those paying into the programs suffer. We need better systems that protect people and we need to prevent Advantage plans from negatively impacting even more patients.”
“Health insurance companies are making billions of dollars in profits with what is more accurately called Medicare DISadvantage,” said Dr. Phil Brewer of PNHP, who is organizing the press conference. “We want people to know that while this sounds good at first, the coverage is letting people down.
“We will also offer resources for those who have enrolled into Medicare Advantage who want to leave the plan and return to traditional Medicare which I like to refer to as ‘True Medicare’,” he added.
The event is at 12:30 pm in Room 1E of the LOB, and is part of a national Day of Action by PNHP on the risks and downsides of Medicare Advantage. It will also be broadcast on CTN.
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Connecticut Citizen Action Group