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Deliberate False Information Provided By HMOs About Disenrollment

Source

       Asclepios               

Medicare HMO Lock-in
November 26, 2001--Vol. 1, Issue 3

Ouch!

Medicare HMOs are giving out incorrect information about the rights of people with Medicare to enroll and disenroll from a Medicare HMO in 2002. A study by the Medicare Rights Center found that 80% of Medicare HMOs surveyed across the country (16 out of 20 HMOs) gave out misinformation about the new "lock-in" requirement that will be implemented beginning in January. The lock-in requirement will restrict people with Medicare to making only one health plan change from January through June 2002, either to another private Medicare plan or to Original Medicare. They are then locked into that option from July through December 2002.

With the lock-in requirement, older and disabled Americans in Medicare HMOs will lose two critical protections they currently have: the right to continuity of care from doctors they know and trust and the ability to access covered care anywhere in the country by enrolling in Original Medicare.

Fast Relief

Delaying or eliminating the lock-in requirement is the right answer to protect people with Medicare. The lock-in requirement will take away the ability of people with Medicare to make choices about how and where they get their health care. And given that Medicare HMOs are giving out misinformation, people with Medicare who are currently enrolled or considering enrolling in Medicare HMOs won't even have the opportunity to make informed health care choices.

• Sign the petition at the bottom of the page to delay or eliminate the lock-in requirement by sending an e-mail to mrcadvocacyupdate@medicarerights.org and letting us know that you want to sign on. We will forward the petition and your signatures to Members of Congress in the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.
• Download the petition and get your colleagues and friends to sign it and send it back to us. We will forward it to members of the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.

Medical Record

Medicare Rights Center staff, posing as family members of people with Medicare, surveyed 40 HMO customer service representatives (2 from each Medicare HMO contacted) and found:

• Sixty percent (60%, 24 out of 40) gave incorrect answers when asked if an enrollee could leave the HMO and switch to Original Medicare at any time in 2002;
• Fifty-five percent (55%, 22 out of 40) gave incorrect answers when asked if an enrollee could leave the health plan if the enrollee's primary care physician left the plan in September 2002; and
• Fifty three percent (53%, 21 out of 40) gave incorrect answers about an enrollee's right to leave a plan any time if his prescription drug were dropped from the plan's formulary.

It Stings

Medicare HMOs, like government agencies and consumer services organizations, play an important role in educating the public about changes in Medicare, and their information must be accurate to protect the rights of people with Medicare the to make informed health care choices.

Petition
We the undersigned ask Congress to delay or eliminate the Medicare+Choice lock-in requirement slated for implementation in January 2002. The lock-in requirement will take away the ability of people with Medicare to make informed choices about how and where they get their health care. Older and disabled Americans in Medicare HMOs will lose two critical protections they currently have: the right to continuity of care from doctors they know and trust and the ability to access covered care anywhere in the country by enrolling in Original Medicare.

According to a study by the Medicare Rights Center, Medicare HMOs are giving out misinformation about the rights of people with Medicare to enroll and disenroll from a Medicare HMO in 2002. Given that Medicare HMOs are uninformed about these lock-in changes, how can people with Medicare make informed choices about their Medicare options by December 31st?

If you would like to sign onto this petition, send an e-mail to mrcadvocacyupdate@medicarerights.org and indicate that you want to sign on. Please include your name, organization (optional) and the city and state in which you live.

OR

Download this petition, get signatures, and send it to: Asclepios, Medicare Rights Center, 1460 Broadway, 11th floor, New York, NY 10036

_________________________________

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Last Modified: 01/12/2004 15:41:46
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