Re-Activate Community Forum -GOVERNMENT

[GAKKIEZ]

  I would like to see the Community Forum GOVERNMENT reactivated with a sub-topic of Advocacy as the new AARP CEO indicates that she supports advocacy and community input.  This would encourage AARP community input in many areas that AARP Membership are interested/active in.  Re-activation of this forum would also provide ease of use for membership rather than searching multiple Community Forum topics for comment and recommendations.

[SpringIsHereVA]

@GAKKIEZ , I didnot know there is an INACTIVE AARP Forum for Government. Interesting!!!  👍

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[*** GAKKIEZ wrote: I would like to see the Community Forum GOVERNMENT reactivated with a sub-topic of Advocacy as the new AARP CEO indicates that she supports advocacy and community input.  This would encourage AARP community input in many areas that AARP Membership are interested/active in.  Re-activation of this forum would also provide ease of use for membership rather than searching multiple Community Forum topics for comment and recommendations. ***]

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[GAKKIEZ]

  Here's more info about the previous Government Forum deactivation.

Posted by AARP on ‎03-15-2021 10:53 AM.

We wanted to let you know that AARP's online communities' politics forum has shut down as of April 5, 2021.

LINK TO AARP's VERY LONG EXPLANATION AND MEMBER RESPONSES.

https://community.aarp.org/t5/General-Help/AARP-Politics-Forum-Sunsetting-Frequently-Asked-Questions...

[SpringIsHereVA]

@GAKKIEZ , that was what I posted. It was the old AARP Politics Forum dear friend.

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[*** GAKKIEZ wrote: Here's more info about the previous Government Forum deactivation.

Posted by AARP on ‎03-15-2021 10:53 AM.

We wanted to let you know that AARP's online communities' politics forum has shut down as of April 5, 2021.

LINK TO AARP's VERY LONG EXPLANATION AND MEMBER RESPONSES.

https://community.aarp.org/t5/General-Help/AARP-Politics-Forum-Sunsetting-Frequently-Asked-Questions...   ***]

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[GAKKIEZ]

  Thanks for correcting me. I do appreciate it.  I still believe a Community Forum - GOVERNMENT would be a great addition to the community.

[SpringIsHereVA]

This site is confusing and I only knew about the Political Forum Drama because I use to be here before I left with the AWESOME folks  in 2021 @GAKKIEZ . Have an AWESOME Thursday my friend.  🙃

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[*** GAKKIEZ wrote: Thanks for correcting me. I do appreciate it.  I still believe a Community Forum - GOVERNMENT would be a great addition to the community. ***]

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[GAKKIEZ]

  I didn't know either until I received a reply to an earlier post I had made about AARP offering Congratulations to President elect Trump.

  It seems the Forum - Government was de-activated in 2021. I think you can do a search on that topic.

[GailL1]

@ That was the Political and Current Events Board - it did get lively.  

The powers that be - stopped all political discussion because even though you might view things in an advocacy view - there is not mutual agreement on the issue nor the fixes.  

The government things you are speaking about here are government programs and actions that affect us.  Some of us are much more knowledgeable about the working of such than others.  The discussion lent itself to a whole lot of explaining and re- explaining, very frustrating.

This organization will support the advocacies that they want and if you so agree, they would like to get you to support their efforts via money and volunteering.  Talking on this board about the issues got no where.  

Speak directly to AARP about your support of some advocacy and then work directly with them for the same goal.

[GAKKIEZ]

  Thanks for the information.  Maybe AARP needs to change the way they view their MEMBER Input?  Many times, a conversation can start a movement/activism in surprising ways.

[GailL1]

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@GAKKIEZ wrote:

  Thanks for the information.  Maybe AARP needs to change the way they view their MEMBER Input?  Many times, a conversation can start a movement/activism in surprising ways.

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While that is very true - the problem is not many people know the working of the programs or even government and thus when something was mentioned by them as a possible fix - then they had to be educated on how the program worked and then sometimes that changed the whole dynamic.

as an example - raising the taxable max for Social Security contributions. Sounds good, right?  Well, people don’t understand why it is there - it is simple - the tax max is directly linked to limiting the benefit.  

remove or raise the tax max - then the program is also gonna increase the benefit.  

So something else has to be done instead of or in combination with if this is part of the solution.  

But hey, go for it 

[GAKKIEZ]

  AARP Members are intelligent and great at sharing information and ideas. 

I've been so frustrated lately with the dated and minimally updated articles being shared on the AARP website and through AARP publications that active feedback from AARP Members is a welcome change and gets me thinking of other possible solutions.

[SpringIsHereVA]

Lol @GAKKIEZ , I will stay in the AARP Grief Forum where I am safe. But you have some AWESOME ideas. You have "spiced" things = took some of the BOREDOM away from this site. Take care my friend. 🙃

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[*** GAKKIEZ wrote: I didn't know either until I received a reply to an earlier post I had made about AARP offering Congratulations to President elect Trump.

  It seems the Forum - Government was de-activated in 2021. I think you can do a search on that topic. ***]

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[GAKKIEZ]

  Thank you for the kind words.

[SpringIsHereVA]

You are WELCOME @GAKKIEZ  👍

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[*** GAKKIEZ wrote: Thank you for the kind words. ***]

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[FayS290121]

AARP needs to be active in combatting the Medicare Advantage overpayment scheme which is costing Medicare billions of dollars. In addition, their sponsored health care plan, United Healthcare is a culprit in this overpayment scheme. Why would AARP support/partner with United Healthcare? Congress will be taking a look at this hopefully with remediation. do the right thing AARP!

[GailL1]

@FayS290121 

 That ship has already sailed - 

  KFF Health News 08/27/2024 - Feds Killed Plan To Curb Medicare Advantage Overbilling After Industry ... 

The Reason IMO - Over 50% of beneficiaries choose to get their Medicare benefits thru Medicare Part C or the Medicare Advantage plans.  Many of them choose this method of Medicare coverage because they cannot afford the Traditional Medicare method of coverage - they cannot afford to pay the 20% of the charges for care which is their out of pocket cost on Traditional Medicare nor can they afford a Medigap plan.  Medicare does not have a maximum or total out of pocket for the beneficiary.

So Medicare needs Medicare Advantage plans - CMS and government knows this so they just didn’t want to shake the bushes and get the industry mad at them for this court/legal  action.

Medicare Advantage Insurers would probably survive without Medicare - maybe - but the program of Medicare might not survive financially without Medicare Advantage plans especially since CMS does not know how to solve the beneficiary’s money problems with the Traditional program.  IMO

[FayS290121]

It aint over til its over. Its still a huge problem, costing US billions of $. I get your point but I disagree. Traditional Medicare has MANY benefits besides cost considerations. Why do you think 50% of Medicare recipients choose MA? Because they get them in for 0 or low cost premiums but recipients have to pay more out of pocket costs plus our tax dollars pay MA plans approx. $1000 PER MONTH PER BENEFICIARY.

Also MA recipients CANNOT change to tradiitonal MCare without medical underwriting i most cases. That can become a real problem down the line if the care you NEED is outside of your MA plan. Lots to consider. Thanks for chiming in.

[GailL1]

It is over - CMS and the government has dropped the lawsuit - so no money is gonna be collected - Cms has redefined the process that MA plans will use to define higher risk beneficiaries to cover the risk adjustment and have also reduced the amount paid for such beneficiaries.

Yes, one’s choice for Traditional Medicare and a Medigap vs a Medicare Advantage plan is basically - pay now or pay later.  

A beneficiary pays NOW if they can afford a Medigap plan to use with Traditional Medicare.  Which assures them that when they use their Trad. Medicare benefit some or all of their out of pocket cost are covered by the Medigap plan of their choice.

A beneficiary that chooses a Medicare Advantage plan pays LATER - they pay nothing until they use the benefit.  They pay when they use the benefit and then the benefit has co-pays, co-insurance and an annual maximum out of pocket connected to its use.

Medical underwriting to change to a Medigap plan is used to control cost in Traditional Medicare and the Medigap premiums.  Tell me what would happen if everybody who got very sick changed from their MA plan back to Trad. Medicare .  The cost to the Traditional program rises as does all premiums for a Medigap plan.  Medigap premiums are set using a rating method initially for the beneficiary then the premiums rise with usage and the economic cost of medical care. 

Medicare Advantage is a managed care type of insurance.  CMS establishes a base premium rate for the plans every year based on their bid figure - which is simply what it cost them for the care the previous year.  CMS also allows the plans to control cost of their plan by various methods - this is managed care - they use their co-pays, their pre approval methods , their use of the deductible, their use of network providers to control cost.  

CMS pays the MA plan insurers the SAME amount that it cost Traditional Medicare to care for the average beneficiary in the Trad. program.  A slight bit more for those beneficiaries that have higher health care cost which has to be documented to CMS.  

Did you know that people who are on Medicare because of a disability in many states cannot even get a Medigap plan because Federal rules doesn’t specific that those under 65 have this coverage.  Many times their cost if they can get one is astronomical.

Medigap plans ARE NOT MEDICAL INSURANCE - they are financial protection insurance to protect the beneficiary from a catastrophic (costing) medical event.  Again , I will tell you that many people cannot afford a Medigap plan thus they choose a MA plan or they have Traditional Medicare without a Medigap.

ALL beneficiaries pay Part B premiums no matter how they choose to get their benefit 

In those states where one can add (few)  or change (a few more) their Medigap plan without underwriting - then in those states their premiums are much higher than in states where medical underwriting is used for any pick up or change or the beneficiary is refused Medigap all together because of  a pre-existing condition.

I am getting a little tired of explaining all of this over and over - may I suggest doing some research of the overall program of Medicare and how it works and why it is this way.  

KFF.ORG - 05/28/2024- MEDICARE 101 

[FayS290121]

Your post:

Medigap plans ARE NOT MEDICAL INSURANCE - they are financial protection insurance to protect the beneficiary from a catastrophic (costing) medical event.

My post:

Medigap plans are most certainly medical insurance. What is insurance on your home, car, health? A way to avoid financial catastrophe.  All insurance is 'financial protection' as you put it.

And....you're 'getting tired of explaining this over and over'. We are here to educate, iinform, and support each other. Not to be experts. Unless you are, then you should state your position, employer, or whomever you represent. This is all just opinion and we are sharing ours in order to hopefully benefit others.

[GAKKIEZ]

  Love your outlook!  I agree, it ain't over til it's over!   We can continue to raise the concerns with our elected officials.

  It took over 40 years for some female WW1 veterans to get the recognition they earned.  Just check out the story of the Hello Girls of WW1.

[GAKKIEZ]

  This is just the reason I believe the AARP Community would appreciate a Government Forum Topic with a sub-topic of Advocacy.

  Thank you!