Medicare Advantage Offers Clues to Untangling the “Medicare for All” Dilemma

PITTSBURGH, July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- "Medicare for All" has become a confusing term among the existing 65+ year old Medicare population as they watch Congress debate universal health care, according to Patrick Phillips, CEO of Cavulus. Cavulus is a technology firm specializing in Medicare Advantage solutions.

Already in the 116^th Congress more than 10 bills addressing "Medicare for All" have been introduced. Additionally, nationally televised debates among presidential hopefuls have tossed around even more ideas.

"Certainly, while a myriad of 'Medicare for All' proposals exist, the term essentially represents bills that propose a single-payer government run healthcare system seeking to replace public and private plans for people of all ages – yet the majority of uninsured individuals in the U.S. are non-elderly (19-64)," Phillips explained.

Phillips believes "emerging policies should focus on those in need, rather than upending programs which tens of millions of seniors currently rely upon."

According to Phillips, the current Medicare program, specifically Medicare Advantage (MA), has emerged as one of the most stable aspects of the health insurance industry. He points to Fierce Healthcare studies revealing that roughly 10% of MA enrollees voluntarily switch plans on an annual basis compared to a 40% churn for adults enrolled under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

"The attractiveness of Medicare Advantage is understandable given the robust medical and prescription drug coverage offered at competitive and predictable prices," asserts Phillips, noting Kaiser Family Foundation studies showing these prices to range from $26 per month for HMO enrollees to $45 per month for regional PPO enrollees. Moreover, there is also an easing of benefit design rules, so high-touch services such as transportation assistance, in-home care, and meal delivery are becoming standard.

"Rather than dismantling important programs such as CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare," Phillips emphasizes, "there's already a solution within the public and private framework of the ACA if lawmakers were willing to approach it in a bipartisan way. The collaboration of regulatory oversight and private insurers in Medicare Advantage serves as a template the under-65 insurance market should mirror." 

ABOUT CAVULUS
Cavulus is a technology driven specialist in Medicare Advantage insurance solutions. The Cavulus Cloud-based Medicare Advantage Platform (Cavulus MAP™) unifies marketing, sales and enrollment operations, and is utilized by some of America's top insurers, including several BlueCross/ BlueShield companies, UPMC Health Plan, SCAN Health Plan, John Hopkins Healthcare, Lumeris and United Healthcare. For details: visit www.cavulus.com.

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SOURCE Cavulus