Some major benefit cuts and premium increases in Medicare Advantage and Part D could shock Medicare enrollees and the public in the upcoming enrollment season and lead to an October Surprise for Democrats.
About The Podcast:
Millions of Americans feel confused and frustrated in their search for quality healthcare coverage.
Between out-of-control costs, countless inefficiencies, a lack of affordable universal access, and little focus on wellness and prevention, the system is clearly in dire need of change.
Hosted by healthcare policy and technology expert Marc S. Ryan, the Healthcare Labyrinth Podcast offers accessible, incisive deep dives on the most pressing issues and events in American healthcare.
Marc seeks to help Americans become wiser consumers and navigate the healthcare maze with more confidence and certainty through The Healthcare Labyrinth website and his book of the same name.
Marc is an unconventional Republican who believes that affordable universal access is a wise and prudent investment. He recommends common-sense solutions to reform American healthcare.
Tune in every week as Marc examines the latest developments in the space, offering analysis, insights, and predictions on the changing state of healthcare in America.
About The Episode:
On this episode, Marc discusses the fact that some major benefit cuts and premium increases in Medicare Advantage and Part D could shock Medicare enrollees and the public in the upcoming enrollment season and lead to an October Surprise for Democrats.
Key Takeaways:
The changes to the Part D program in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have created huge new costs for Medicare Advantage (MA) and standalone Part D (PDP) plans.
As well, MA plans saw falling rates, lower Star scores, new regulations, and other increased costs for 2025.
MA plans likely will cut benefits and increase premiums in 2025.
Standalone PDP plans are looking at huge premium increases for 2025.
The new benefits and premiums are advertised in October — right before the November election.
About 57 million Americans have to make new plan choices in October. They rely on friends and loved ones to help them.
The bad news on benefits and premiums could be learned by 45% of voters close to the election.
The fallout was entirely predictable. The government did not fund the Part D changes it passed and essentially shifted costs to plans and the enrollees.
The IRA was very much too good to be true on Part D.
The fallout could be an October Surprise for Democrats at election time.
Connect with Marc
Resources
The Healthcare Labyrinth: A Guide to Navigating Health Plans and Fixing American Health Insurance
