Examines Medicare Advantage Plan Payments In Florida

FloridaHealth News on Friday examined federal payment disparities among MedicareAdvantage plans in Florida.According to a Florida Health News analysis, payments to MA plansin Miami-Dade Countyon average are 38% higher than payments in 24 other Florida counties and 50% higher than in adozen other counties. The Office ofManagement and Budgetin 2000 classified Miami-Dade, Palm Beach andBroward counties as one metropolitan area because of economic and socialsimilarities, but Palm Beach MA plans receive an average of$233 less than plans in Miami-Dade, and plans in Broward receive an average of$175 less than Miami-Dade plans.

According to Florida Health News, the disparity means that plansreceiving higher payments in some counties can provide additional benefits --including coverage of Medicare Part B premiums and no-cost transportation tophysician appointments -- that are not available to beneficiaries enrolled inthe same plan in a different county. Democratic Florida Reps. Robert Wexler,Alcee Hastings, Ron Klein and Tim Mahoney have asked Gov. Charlie Crist (R) torequest that Medicare change the way it calculates payments for the counties (Jaffe, FloridaHealth News, 3/21).

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