Kristine Grow, the spokesperson from the Coalition for Medicare Choices, joins Suzanne to talk more about Medicare, and how seniors think about Medicare coverage. She explains, "Today's seniors have a different expectation for their health care and their health care coverage. They don't want just coverage when they are sick. They also want coverage when they are well, to help them stay well. They want to get better faster, and they wanna stay healthier longer. So programs like access to healthy foods, things like fitness programs, things like access to community centers, these are things that help them stay more fit physically and that get them out in the community and build new relationships. So they have a better sense of mental wellness and mental well-being as well. These are really strong commitments by these Medicare Advantage plans and the health insurance providers that offer them. And we think those are really big pieces of why our senior voters are so very satisfied with these plans, and they continue to tell Washington every single year that these plans need to be protected."

Medicare Advantage is also available to those on fixed incomes or at the poverty level. She says, "Seniors are choosing Medicare Advantage, they're not required to enroll in it, but they're looking at these plans and making a decision. When we look at the demographics of the enrollees, 40% of them have an income of $25,000 a year or less. So these are low income households, they have a very fixed income, and they need their household dollars, especially their health care dollars, to stretch as far as they can. Price points keep going down year after year. This year for the 2023 benefit year, the average monthly premium was just $18 a month. And there are a lot of seniors who are able to get plans for $0 premiums a month, depending on what they qualify for and what plans are offered in their area. So it's, it's an important part of their financial stability."

If you have questions about Medicare Advantage, Kristine Grow says, "A really great website is offered by the federal government itself. It's Medicare.gov. And it has a lot of very basic, easy to understand information about what is Medicare: What are the different parts? How do I qualify? What would I need to pay for these different parts? It also has a great tool called the Plan Finder tool, which helps you to find a plan that is specific to what you're looking for. And it helps you compare plans as well to see what's covered, what's not, and make sure that you're comfortable with the choice that you're making.

"At the Coalition for Medicare Choices, we very strongly believe that people should have truth in marketing and know exactly what they're buying. We want them to have a choice that makes sense for them and they're happy with, nobody wants anybody to choose a plan that they're not satisfied with."

Visit MedicareChoices.org to learn more about Medicare Advantage and the Coalition for Medicare Choices.

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