I’ve been working on health care for older adults for 17 years and I’ve made learning about Medicare’s ins and outs a priority. But still I am constantly surprised. Last weekend, my Dad asked me if he could get a medigap insurance plan on top of his Medicare Advantage (Kaiser) plan and I just didn’t know.
Fortunately, I knew who to refer him to—The Medicare Rights Center. The Foundation has never funded them directly but we see them often, attend their fundraising dinners, and admire their work. We were very fortunate to have their president, Joe Baker, speak to our board of trustees at our September meeting to offer a perspective on Medicare reform proposals.
http://youtu.be/haWoDC9Duho
And while he was with us, Baker graciously agreed to sit down with Senior Program Officer Rachael Watman for the latest in our Beyond the Boardroom video series. They covered what the Medicare Rights Center does, the current debate over Medicare reform, and what Hartford Foundation grantees and colleagues can do to help improve Medicare. For more information, visit the Medicare Rights Center website.
And by the way, you can’t have a medigap policy as a Medicare Advantage member. (See page 7 of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ guide to Choosing a Medigap Policy.) I guess it interferes with the private insurer’s ability to use co-pays as incentives to change member behavior; but if so, why regular Original Medicare would allow medigap policies is a mystery for another time.