Wednesday Soapbox Cartoonist's take

Health care coverage change is concerning

As a Medicare beneficiary who has made contributions since it began in 1965, I felt secure knowing that my medical costs would be covered by paying my monthly Medicare and “medigap” supplemental policy premiums to see providers who accepted Medicare.

About a half million Americans annually seek bankruptcy protection from medical bills, but I have felt financially safe because of my coverage.

I was shocked when I recently opened a letter that stated that my primary care physician, a MarinHealth provider, was now a part of NeueHealth Advantage, a Medicare “accountable care organization.” This was not my choice. I never opted to be part of an ACO because I wanted the ability to freely choose my providers.

While the letter stated that there was “no action needed” on my part, I did some research and, since then, I feel anxious about what this new program might mean for me. I scanned the provider link in the letter and discovered that none of the specialists whom I see regularly are listed.

Recently, a congressional committee shared that Bright Health, the parent company of NeueHealth, described the Medicare fee-for-service “market” as a “$430 billion opportunity.” The fact that traditional Medicare has only a 2% overhead (no profit) and this ACO-REACH (which stands for “realizing equity, access and community health”) program I've been enrolled in without my permission allows up to 40% profit/overhead, deeply disturbs and concerns me.

Kudos to the California Legislature for passing Assembly Joint Resolution 4 which calls for a halt to the ACO-REACH privatization plan that puts profits above patients by turning Medicare into a profitdriven commercial enterprise. It's a real departure from our nation's original commitment to the health care of seniors and people with disabilities.

Let's all be wary of this tactic and do our best to stop it.