Changes in Medicare affect which doctors seniors have access to

For seniors ages 65 and up, there will be changes in Medicare health insurance plans this year. Seniors will have to decide between choosing a plan that restricts the doctors they have access to or a supplemental plan, said Tammy Rorabaugh, senior health insurance agent for Covered California.

“The key thing is to help seniors,” Rorabaugh said. “There’s going to be a big impact in Merced County this year. Their choices are stripped down to basically nothing.”

With the Medicare Advantage plan, seniors pay a lower monthly cost, she said, but it makes makes them more vulnerable for out-of-pocket expenses such as surgeries that can bankrupt a family. The main change in Medicare Advantage, Rorabaugh said, is patients can no longer choose any doctor of their choice. They are restricted to a network of doctors.

Many seniors are upset or fearful they won’t be able to stay with their current doctors because of this change, Rorabaugh said.

With supplemental plans through private insurers, seniors pay a higher monthly fee but they are able to go to any doctor of their choice, she said.

Rorabaugh urges seniors to come in and talk about what their options are and what could be most beneficial financially. Her office is at 25th and Canal streets in Merced, open from 8 a.m. to noon. If needed, Rorabaugh said, Covered California agents can do home visits.

This story was originally published November 13, 2016 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Changes in Medicare affect which doctors seniors have access to."