Please dont fall for Medicare private plans sugar coated pitches

Recently I saw in the media a statement saying that private Medicare plans, read Medicare Advantage plans, cover more than 28 million older Americans and those with disabilities. I fit into both of those categories. Then as I read later in the article that private Medicare plans often deny care. Those statements really got my attention. Really big time. Why? Because I rely on Medicare A, B and D for my care.I have been besieged with robo/scam calls wanting me to drop my government Medicare plan in favor of one of these private plans. I refuse to do it.Several years ago, I was advised not to ever give up my government Medicare. Neither I nor my wife will allow these scammers to substitute one of their "plans."Have you seen the TV ad pitching one of these advantage plans? This is the one that features of all people, Joe Nameth. I'm not sure most have heard of him as a pro football quarterback of big time fame. I'll bet they paid him a lot of money to pitch their product and all its freebies. Don't fall for this pitch. There's no free lunch. Somebody, probably you, the consumer has to pay. These insurance companies don't give free stuff away. Yet some will fall for Nameth's slick delivery if for no other reason because of his past fame. There were two reasons private plans rejected claims. I quote: "The private plans had coverage formulas beyond what Medicare required such as requiring an X-Ray before allowing other scans such as MRI and the plans claimed that requests lacked proper documentation."Look, these private insurance companies use tactics from the private industry in order to reduce costs.Please don't fall for their sugar-coated pitches. Don't ever give up your government-sponsored Medicare. If you do, it's almost impossible to get it back. Be safe, not sorry.C'mon Joe, you are better than this. I guess money talks — loudly.Let's include some common Medicare open enrollment errors:1. Failure to check that your doctors will accept your Medicare Advantage plan.2. Failure to compare prescription drug plans (Part D) to see if your medications are covered.3. Falsely thinking all doctors will accept your preferred provider plan (PPO).4. Being influenced by the splashy ads.5. Waiting too long to ask for help.Here's 3 related links:NerdWallet: Medicare Open Enrollment 2023: What You need to Know, bit.ly/nerdwallet-medicare-open-enrollmentSage Growth Partners: Hidden Crisis: The Medicare Enrollment Maze, sage-growth.ftlbcdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/0242-SGP-Medicare-MarketReport-FINAL.pdfState Health Insurance Assistance Program, www.shiphelp.org/Steve MooreCookeville