CENTER LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HARTFORD COURANT

CENTER LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE HARTFORD COURANT: EXPAND MEDICARE BENEFITS FOR ALL

(The following letter appeared in Connecticut’s Hartford Courant on December 15, 2001)

To the Editor:

The article on the disruption caused by the withdrawal of Connecticut’s Medicare HMOs [Page 1, Dec. 9, "Seniors Scrambling To Replace Health Plans"] fails to address an important part of the story: that Medicare HMOs are not the best way to provide Medicare beneficiaries with the full array of health services they need.

In 2002 the cost of remaining in an HMO in Connecticut will be prohibitive. One of the two remaining Medicare HMOs, Health Net, has increased premiums by $20 per month, from $79/month to $99/month, as well as increasing co-payments for doctor visits. Health Net is also adding co-payments for services for which the plan previously did not charge a co-payment. For example, the plan is going from a zero co-payment for dialysis services to a 20% co-payment, and from a zero co-payment for in-patient hospital care to a $500 co-payment per hospital admission. Beneficiaries who need these services are among the most frail and vulnerable. Yet they may end up paying more out-of- pocket than they would under traditional Medicare. If they were in traditional Medicare, they could at least purchase a Medigap policy to pay their out-of-pocket costs.

In particular, beneficiaries who need prescription drug coverage must look carefully at what coverage the HMO offers. Health Net, which is increasing its drug co-payments in 2002, only covers generic prescription drugs. Thus, people who take prescriptions for which no generic equivalent exists - for example, prescriptions for Alzheimer’s disease or cardiac conditions - will still be paying full price. Health Net also is dropping coverage of insulin.

Rep. Nancy Johnson, R. - 6^th District, is correct that Connecticut residents are upset about losing their benefits. The answer is not to throw additional public funds at private HMOs that choose to enter and leave Connecticut according to their own business needs. Older people and people with disabilities would be much better served if the money was put into the traditional Medicare program to expand Medicare benefits.

        Judith Stein                                           Vicki Gottlich
        Executive Director/Attorney                  Staff Attorney
        Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.     Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.
        PO Box 350                                         Healthcare Rights Project
        Willimantic, CT 06226                          1025 Connecticut Ave., NW Suite 709
       (860)456-7790                                     Washington, DC 20036
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