How Will Healthcare Reform
Affect Seniors
By Mary Pizzingrillo ANP-BC; marynp@msn.com
There is much heated debate about how health care reform will affect older Americans. Senior citizens and older Americans worry that health care reform will have a negative impact on their Medicare benefits. Many people worry that the sickest and frailest older Americans will be encouraged to “give up care” and choose hospice instead or be forced to undergo “death panels.”
Many false claims are being made and truths are being twisted. It’s more important now than ever to understand what health care reform will mean to you. So how will health care reform really affect older Americans?
As of now, senior citizens and older Americans who are covered by Medicare will be less affected by health care reform than other citizens. Americans over 65 years of age (and some who are younger and permanently disabled) qualify for Medicare, which is funded and run by the federal government. Medicare recipients won’t experience a drastic change in how they receive medical care. They won’t have to worry about choosing an insurance company, whether they have to opt-in or opt-out of public coverage, or whether they will be affected by rationing.
How will health care reform affect my Medicare Benefit?
President Obama has said that health care reform won’t cut Medicare benefits but this isn’t entirely true. If we look at the worst-case scenario some seniors could indeed see some cuts to Medicare.
About one-fifth of Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs. Medicare Advantage programs are run by private insurance companies and include all the benefits of traditional Medicare plus prescription drug coverage and other services not covered under traditional Medicare. These programs cost Americans the most money and are the target of Medicare cut-backs in the reform bill.
Those enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs may see a reduction in the “extra” services those programs provide but will see no reduction in their traditional Medicare benefits. For the four-fifths of Americans enrolled in traditional Medicare, they shouldn’t see any change to their existing benefits.
What About Those Mandatory Death Panels?
"Death panels" are just one of several myths surrounding the health care reform debate. The idea of this myth is that the government would require senior citizens to undergo end-of-life planning consultations every five years. This has lead some people to hysteria, claiming that the federal government wants to kill off our old people to save money and push people into hospice care. End of life planning, or Advanced Directives as they are frequently called, are instructions that are written explicitly stating what your health care goals are regarding aggressive treatment if you are unable to communicate for yourself.
They express your wishes regarding resuscitation measures, feeding tubes and other treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy, etc. They can be as detailed or vague as you desire and they should also designate a person whom you trust to make decisions for you in the event that you cannot. This is a person whom you have had this conversation with at some point of your life and is well aware of your wishes.
What Is Hospice?
Hospice is a Medicare benefit available for anyone with chronic underlying disease states such as; dementia, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), congestive heart failure, stroke with debility, and cancer (to name a few). Its approach is non-aggressive management and allows for people to remain in the comfort of a familiar environment for their remaining days. They provide supportive services such as equipment for the home, medications and physical and emotional support for patient, family and caretakers.
The misperception of hospice is that it is only for people who are in the final days of their lives. This is incorrect. In order to fully benefit from hospice, the services should be started early in the disease process rather than later when the disease has progressed to the final days.
In Conclusion:
As healthcare reform continues to take form and changes occur, protect yourself by having all of your wishes known as it pertains to end of life planning. Too many times people are making decisions in a crisis mode and end up in worse shape than if they pursued a non-aggressive approach and just stayed comfortable. Dying is an inevitable part of life and cannot be avoided, but it does not need to be uncomfortable for us or our loved ones. Knowing what our wishes are in advance can help us avoid unnecessary suffering in the end. Talk to your healthcare provider about advanced directive planning at your next visit.