Still Time to Switch Medicare Advantage Plans and Meet the March 31st Deadline!

Most health insurers bury the true cost of your healthcare in copays, deductibles and coinsurances.  Often seniors don't realize they may have purchased too little or too much health insurance.  March 31st is the last day you can "switch" health insurance.  If you purchased your insurance based solely on the premium - then you've only looked at the tip of the iceberg. Your monthly premium only represents a small fraction of your annual cost "when you are sick." So it is really important to understand how Medicare Advantage plans hide the true cost of healthcare and how to calculate those costs when you are sick.

On November 21, 2009, the U.S. Senate voted 60-39 on a cloture motion and to formally consider and debate the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R.3590).  Senate moderates on Sunday threatened to scuttle the health care bill if their demands weren't met, frustrating rank-and-file Democrats who say their colleagues' views were out of step with American voters.

Differences with House Bill
Unlike the House bill, the Senate bill imposes a new payroll tax for individuals earning over $200,000 and taxes on insurance companies, drug companies and medical device manufacturers. Over the next decade, the bill would cost $848 billion, slightly less than the $1 trillion House measure. But much of those savings are realized because it would take effect in 2014, a year later than the House bill [source: AARP].