With the primary election over in California, I was hopeful junk mail would lessen. However, the mailbox is still clogged with advertisements targeting older adults to re-assign their original Medicare to an “Advantage” plan.

Most recently, I received a card in the mail offering $1100 yearly in groceries, luring me to sign up for their package. However, in this day of inflation and shrinkflation, this amount is not an enticing consideration.

I have labeled these plans “Disadvantage” based on my experience as a physician. They offer “free” hearing aids, glasses, dental work, transportation, in-home care, and now groceries, but these “advantages” rarely pan out. 

Many seniors tell me how they love their Advantage Plan and the great care they receive. I remind them they have not been critically ill in the hospital, as this is where their Advantage Plan fails. 

These for-profit disadvantage organizations are quick to discharge you from the hospital and push seniors into nursing homes (which they’ve re-labeled “Rehab Centers”); put you on end-of-life hospice care so they can legally wash their financial hands of your medical problems; second guess your doctor’s recommendations requiring “prior authorization” for procedures, referrals to specialists, and diagnostic testing like CT scans or MRIs; and create high out-of-pocket cost, especially for medicines.

If you travel, you might need authorization from the Advantage Plan for treatment, even if you are in a distant emergency room. With advancing medical care and newer technology such as immunotherapy and targeted cancer treatment, these might be denied because of their costs. 

Most recently, they have attempted to find loopholes in state laws to take over medical decision-making, even over family members, allowing them to “pull the plug” on ill patients.

I know original Medicare with a Medigap supplement is more expensive. Still, in the long run, the cost of one’s life is much higher when one jumps through hoops in an unfamiliar medical arena.

The Medicare system is complex, and switching from an Advantage Plan to an original Medicare with a Medigap supplement is difficult. Realize for-profit disadvantage lobbyists influence legislators and don’t want to lose their profit. Why not make it difficult and confusing for the public to make a change?

Should you be contemplating this change, call an insurance broker or your insurance agent before seeking anyone offering a $1100 grocery card. 

We continue to be inundated with ads and enticements from Medicare Advantage Plans filling our mailboxes because they want your money. 

Unfortunately, they might ultimately take your life…all for profit.

Gene Dorio, M.D.