SGR Repeal Could Have Damaging Side Effects

Brian Anderson

Executive Editor
100+ Post Club
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NAMSA President Ron Iverson is sounding the alarm (link to article below) about implications for Med Supp producers regarding Congress entertaining a bill which could include a total restructuring of Medicare, combining Part A and Part B deductibles, and a concerted effort to directly affect Medicare Supplement plans, with both ideas tied to the coattails of a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) repeal bill.

First off, what concerns you most, and second, do you have any ideas to share as to how agents can effectively voice their concerns before legislation is passed in advance of the March 31 deadline for a SGR patch or repeal?

Insurance Forums | SGR repeal could have damaging side effects for Med Supp producers: NAMSA leader
 
Major changes to Medicare deductibles have been discussed before. If Congress is stupid enough to do this they should expect the torch and pitchfork crowd marching on Washington.

Seniors (50 million or so) represent a major voting block willing to give the finger to anyone that tries to mess with their SS or Medicare.

Won't be the first time Congress tried an overhaul only to come back later and say they were only kidding.
 
NAMSA President Ron Iverson is sounding the alarm (link to article below) about implications for Med Supp producers regarding Congress entertaining a bill which could include a total restructuring of Medicare, combining Part A and Part B deductibles, and a concerted effort to directly affect Medicare Supplement plans, with both ideas tied to the coattails of a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) repeal bill.

First off, what concerns you most, and second, do you have any ideas to share as to how agents can effectively voice their concerns before legislation is passed in advance of the March 31 deadline for a SGR patch or repeal?

Insurance Forums | SGR repeal could have damaging side effects for Med Supp producers: NAMSA leader

based on your "article" i'm going to guess either you sell medicare products, or you are on medicare. Most producers that sell medigaps, and mapd seem to be biased to leaving the system broken, and bankrupt, and the way it is because they only think of themselves and their business.

the system is broken. cuts have to be made. "shifting", as you put it, more of the costs on the medicare beneficiaries is necessary. phasing medicare out permanently over the next 10-20 years has to happen if we dont want the country to go completely bankrupt, like greece has.
 
based on your "article" i'm going to guess either you sell medicare products, or you are on medicare. Most producers that sell medigaps, and mapd seem to be biased to leaving the system broken, and bankrupt, and the way it is because they only think of themselves and their business.

the system is broken. cuts have to be made. "shifting", as you put it, more of the costs on the medicare beneficiaries is necessary. phasing medicare out permanently over the next 10-20 years has to happen if we dont want the country to go completely bankrupt, like greece has.

So whats your plan if and/or when this happens?
 
So whats your plan if and/or when this happens?

This would actually help most agents. because the consumers will have a lot of questions. if your are there to help them through the jungle of cutbacks and changes, you will only get more referrals.

How i will adjust my business will depend on what, if anything, actually happens in the end.

Im not scared at all, about cutbacks, because it will only create a bigger need for the agent. Im actually rooting for anyone in DC that is brave enough to even start a conversation about getting medicare spending under control
 
NAMSA President Ron Iverson is sounding the alarm (link to article below) about implications for Med Supp producers regarding Congress entertaining a bill which could include a total restructuring of Medicare, combining Part A and Part B deductibles, and a concerted effort to directly affect Medicare Supplement plans, with both ideas tied to the coattails of a Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) repeal bill.

First off, what concerns you most, and second, do you have any ideas to share as to how agents can effectively voice their concerns before legislation is passed in advance of the March 31 deadline for a SGR patch or repeal?

Insurance Forums | SGR repeal could have damaging side effects for Med Supp producers: NAMSA leader

Is this the bill you speak off?
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4015#summary

If so I don't see anything about combining A and B or eliminating Medigap. No one has come up with a way to pay for this bill, I think they will dip into another bucket before they go kicking millions of seniors of their medigap plan. Also, Combining Part A and B will be a huge and extremely complicated undertaking. How exactly are they supposed to combine the Part A entitlement trust with the completely optional part B that is paid for with "General Funds"?

Technically Medicare Part A and Part B have already been combined, ITS CALLED THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PROGRAM!!!. The point is that the most efficient way to combined part a and B is to let private insurers offer Part C plans.

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This would actually help most agents. because the consumers will have a lot of questions. if your are there to help them through the jungle of cutbacks and changes, you will only get more referrals.

How i will adjust my business will depend on what, if anything, actually happens in the end.

Im not scared at all, about cutbacks, because it will only create a bigger need for the agent. Im actually rooting for anyone in DC that is brave enough to even start a conversation about getting medicare spending under control

My thought is that if they elimnate medigap I'll just sell more MAPD, problem solved.:biggrin:
 
When Medicare came out, it was feared that agents were doomed.

Every time something changes, agents are doomed.

We're still here.
 
This would actually help most agents. because the consumers will have a lot of questions. if your are there to help them through the jungle of cutbacks and changes, you will only get more referrals.

How i will adjust my business will depend on what, if anything, actually happens in the end.

Im not scared at all, about cutbacks, because it will only create a bigger need for the agent. Im actually rooting for anyone in DC that is brave enough to even start a conversation about getting medicare spending under control

They need to act first to see if they can cut illegal immigrants and foreign "citizens" who never contributed a dime in this country before they come after people that actually did work for a living.
I enrolled a 66-year old immigrant into a PDP who didn't work the required number of quarters in this country, yet qualified for Medicare A & B plus Medicaid and SSI CHECK. Why doesn't his OWN country care for him? It is morally wrong to give these ppl benefits when our own citizens are given reduced benefits and higher costs.
Another thing... STOP the Medicare SNP gravy train!!! Medi-medis are given FREE DENTAL, FREE VISION, FREE TRANSPO, FREE OTC catalog, etc. these MA greed monsters are given 20-25% extra comp to "care" for them- too much.
 
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based on your "article" i'm going to guess either you sell medicare products, or you are on medicare. Most producers that sell medigaps, and mapd seem to be biased to leaving the system broken, and bankrupt, and the way it is because they only think of themselves and their business.

the system is broken. cuts have to be made. "shifting", as you put it, more of the costs on the medicare beneficiaries is necessary. phasing medicare out permanently over the next 10-20 years has to happen if we dont want the country to go completely bankrupt, like greece has.

They def can help buy not allowing Hospitals to charge $200 for a tissue
or $50 for an aspirin.

they don't do anything to stop that kind of gouging

they protect drug companies and allow them to gouge

look what they done with Obama care most people around me are much worse off because of it.

we can cut cost by reducing the size of the Govt. easier then cutting benefits to the seniors (many who need the help a lot more then the one who is 25 and refuses to work hard and expects everything handed to them)

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My thought is that if they elimnate medigap I'll just sell more MAPD, problem solved.:biggrin:[/QUOTE]


Yea and how do you think that will work out when Insurers are not concerned about losing clients to med supps

they already take advantage, Being lic in over a dozen states, Every Year 1 company or another that had a great plan either drops the plan or raises prem from $0 to $90 drops doc's whatever

Had one this year decommissioned their plans in certain counties
dropped the plan that most were in forcing them to switch and guess what
No more residual payments in that county

The only thing that will do is create raised premiums higher copays
more control over doc's = lesser care.

and you will work 2 x as hard and will always lose big blocks of clients
Neither clients or agents or the economy will benefit from this
 
This would actually help most agents. because the consumers will have a lot of questions. if your are there to help them through the jungle of cutbacks and changes, you will only get more referrals.

How i will adjust my business will depend on what, if anything, actually happens in the end.

Im not scared at all, about cutbacks, because it will only create a bigger need for the agent. Im actually rooting for anyone in DC that is brave enough to even start a conversation about getting medicare spending under control

Number 1 - the private Medicare supplements are not the cause of overutilization of medical services, and adjusting them to offer clients fewer choices is no way will "reign in" Medicare expenditures. There are other ways to "reign in" those expenditures and they include things like - entering the system at an older age, containing fraud, possibly looking at what Medicare actually covers, etc.

Most of these items aimed at the fundamental program are political hot potatoes, so our Congress simply wants to play "around the edges" to make people believe they are doing the hard work, when in fact, they are simply limiting the consumers choices of how to protect themselves financially.

If they start these discussions and get anywhere, they will hurt agents. You may have nothing to sell and all of the business you've built could go away. In addition, if you eliminate supplements from the Medicare insurance landscape, you will only have basic Medicare and Medicare Advantage. The insurance companies could very well decide that agents are not necessary since there will be virtually no other option for financial protection. On top of it, the private insurers are drawing huge amounts of money out of the existing fund to produce programs that surely don't pay out anywhere near what they collect.

Eliminating Medicare supplements, or changing them in such a way that consumers have less choice will be devastating to agents, consumers and will not solve the issues around prolonging the Medicare fund through cost containment.
 
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