Medicare choices

In a recent column, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Judith Stein of the Center for Medicare Advocacy write about Medicare’s open enrollment period and raise concerns about Medicare Advantage plans.

These are Medicare plans administered by private insurance companies in cooperation with the federal government. More than 256,000 state residents are enrolled in these plans and 92 percent of MA beneficiaries report being satisfied with their coverage.

DeLauro and Stein have been longtime champions for our state’s seniors, and they are right to encourage readers to “look and think carefully before making a choice” in Medicare coverage but their criticisms of MA plans do not tell the whole story.

As a broker based in Stamford, I’ve spent more than 25 years connecting seniors across the country with the Medicare coverage option that best suits their health and financial needs. Advantage Plans offer additional benefits not covered under Traditional Medicare that have an impact on an individual’s mental and physical health.

Others prefer MA because of the low premiums — half of MA beneficiaries pay no monthly premium at all — or because of the growing body of evidence on its superior health outcomes. Enrollees also enjoy the added benefits that MA plans provide.

This open enrollment season, we should heed DeLauro and Stein’s advice to consider “the real pros and cons between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage.” For many, however, careful decision making will lead them to choose the highvalue, costeffective care that MA plans provide.

Erin Fisher

Stamford