After two years of not receiving a cost of living adjustment (COLA), I was relieved that this year we were going to receive an extremely modest increase of our Social Security benefits. That hope was bashed when I had to re-up with Humana who is my Medicare Provider, and for the most part -- they haven't been bad at all. Until today, I had no complaints against them what-so-ever and have enjoyed their well-trained Help Desk as well as the structure of their Health Care Plan.
When I called today, I learned that regular Physician visits still require the same 15$ co-pay as they did last year, however, Specialist Referrals went up from 35.00 to $40.00, and Emergency Room Visits increased from a $50.00 deductible to $65. This may not seem like a lot of money to those who receive substantial amounts of Social Security, but for the "Average Bear" these increases can add up to a fair amount of money by years end -- and I questioned the Representative at Humana as to why the deductibles are rising for no apparent reason. Her answer was that she didn't know and then I identified myself as a Journalist and requested to speak with her manager to find out the rationale for raising prices when the economy sucks and every penny lost to another price increase is making millions of Seniors miserable throughout the United States. (The representative stated that she was transferring me to a manager, and by the tone of her voice I could feel that she was extremely annoyed. Well, she got the best of me and I finally had to hang-up. I could hear her typing in the background as I waited for the Manager to come on-line and then it occurred to me that the call hadn't really been transferred, but she laid the phone aside and continued with her work -- I could hear it, and I'm relatively sure that she was smiling as she saw me "holding" for a call that would never be answered.
At this point based on Humana's failure to respond to my question, I believe it may be internal. It's also possible that this is a government mandated increase, perhaps to help and compensate for the extremely low reimbursements that plague the Medicare Program. (Don't look to the Prescription Drug Plans as a losing proposition for Humana or any other Medicare Plan. The plan that we have was constructed in a manner where Big Pharma benefits far more than they should, and again, it's the Average Joe that has to pay for the increases.)
If this was a move by Humana to bolster their profits then I will be the first to call it greed and gouging based on the below profit statements that I found for Humana:
Humana Q3 Profit Up 13%; Lifts Full-year View -- Update10/31/2011 8:10 AM ET
(RTTNews) -- Humana Inc. (HUM: News ) Monday reported a 13 percent increase in third-quarter profit and lifted its full-year 2011 earnings outlook. In the quarter, the health benefits firm generated more in premium revenues and spent less in benefit expenses. The company also issued earnings guidance for the full year 2012.
In the third quarter, the company's net income increased to $444.76 million or $2.67 per share from $393.22 million or $2.32 per share reported last year.
Earnings per share for the recent quarter included $0.13 of favorable prior-period medical claims reserve development, lower than $0.31 per share a year earlier. Excluding this item, GAAP earnings per share were $2.54, up from $2.01 per share in the prior year.
On average, 18 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to earn $2.02 per share in the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.
Total revenues for the quarter grew 11.4 percent to $9.3 billion from $8.35 billion in the same quarter last year, exceeding analysts' estimate of $9.25 billion. MUCH MORE
From a practical and economic standpoint it would appear that Humana is doing quite well financially -- and if that's the case, why the rise in deductibles? This appears to be more rape and pillage of the American populace, and as a consumer -- I should have been able to find out why the deductibles are increasing; who is the perpetrator -- the government or Humana? Does anyone have an answer?
For those who are not on Social Security and Medicare, there is another pitfall that awaits many of us as we grow older. I perused the Drug Formularies and noticed that Cancer Drugs do not enjoy the same deductibles as other medications. A logical individual would question this policy because of all of the drugs currently prescribed in the United States, Cancer Drugs tend to be the most expensive:
October 5, 2011 -- Congressman Investigates Sellers On Drug Shortages
A Congressman investigating worsening shortages of hospital drugs is demanding that secondary drug distributors reveal where they're getting scarce, life-saving medicines -- and explain the huge markups they charge hospitals.
Letters from a House committee cite an Associated Press report that the shortages are responsible for at least 15 patient deaths and that secondary distributors are selling drugs for chemotherapy, anesthesia and infections for hugely inflated prices, in some cases 20 to 40 times the normal price.
Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has given five distributors -- companies hospitals say have been offering them hard-to-find drugs at dramatic markups -- two weeks to answer his questions. LINK (If anyone is aware whether this cost increase was internal through Humana or mandated by the government, Please include that information with an appropriate link so all of us will have access to the knowledge.)
As an afterthought, I do have a solution that would help to alleviate the Social Security burden of thousands of Seniors that are currently receiving Social Security/Medicare. Millions of us know that through Insider Trading and Lobbyists, notwithstanding the absurd ruling by SCOTUS on "Citizens United" and the militarization of Law Enforcement, the United States is quickly evolving into a Police State -- and that fact is undeniable. Police Brutality is reaching astronomical levels, and even when we know a Cop is about to assault an innocent individual for no legal reason whatsoever, as a Citizen of The United States, we have absolutely no standing or right to defend ourselves. This is unacceptable in any society. The only reason that we are aware of scores of cases of Police Brutality is because everyday citizens are now video-tapingLaw Enforcement at the very first hint of trouble, often without their knowledge, and then when they lie and state someone was "resisting arrest," an Average Joe steps out of the shadows and presents a video that proves the Police are attempting to cover-up their illegal activities, even if it means breaking the laws they were sworn to uphold.
For me and millions of other Seniors, this nation IS NOT the country that we grew-up in and at least hundreds of thousands of us are disgusted to the point where we would gladly leave the country if it was affordable. Why doesn't the government consider buying-out the remainder of our Social Security accounts based on age, and allow all of us to obtain Passports to leave the country and allow us to participate in "Shared Sacrifice" as we settle for less money than we would receive if we stayed here and exit what is now a fascist/Authoritarian Government? There may be billions of dollars to be saved, and unless we are being held hostage by the government so that Big Pharma and the Insurance Industry can rip-off our faces, I suggest that Congress and the Presidency consider this idea to help and alleviate the Social Security Non-Crisis that is being hoisted by propagandists through the Mainstream News Media to the majority of the American people.
