Cut Medicare’s costs

Yes, we desperately need to cut Medicare!

As a retired family physician, I am convinced we need to cut the cost of the Medicare system. Not the benefits for patients. Not the reimbursements to physicians; it is the lowest already. Cut the cost of the system itself.

First, deal with overpayments to Medicare Advantage. Private insurance companies are taking over Medicare by their aggressive Medicare Advantage programs. These programs have overbilled the federal Medicare system by billions of dollars. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has estimated net overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans in 2022 alone at $11.4 billion. Multiple sources confirm this. I urge you to read a December NPR article (tinyurl.com/NPRmedicare) that discusses how insurance companies take inordinately high profits from our Medicare tax dollars.

Furthermore, while the many perks of Medicare Advantage may appeal to the well patient, if you have a chronic illness, many physicians, including myself, warn against Medicare Advantage plans because of their questionable care of sick patients and patients with multiple chronic problems.

Next, our current Medicare system is fragmented and inefficient, desperately needing reorganization and restructuring. No successful business would tolerate it as it is. It’s even barred by law from getting competitive drug prices.

Lastly, it needs to continue the change from a reactive system to a proactive system. The problem with a reactive system is that it delays care until you are sick. It is the most expensive way to practice medicine. Far better is a proactive integrated system designed to keep you well and out of the hospital; it’s the most humane way and could save trillions of dollars over the years.

The answers to reducing Medicare costs are out there. It is way past time for politicians to stop their petty political posturing and deal with the problem.

GEORGE BENJAMIN

Siloam Springs