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Schumer to feds: Don't penalize S. C. seniors
Under the current system, Medicare pays health insurers and managed care plans to provide health coverage for services such as doctors' visits, hospitalizations and prescription drugs. The Medicare Advantage payments are calculated county-by-county, using a complex formula that takes into account the Medicare population and the number and value of health-care services and facilities serving those Medicare beneficiaries. However, while Nassau and Suffolk have comparable numbers, Suffolk has received millions less than Nassau over the past six years because Medicare does not count health-care provided at the Northport VA to Medicare beneficiaries in their calculations The result is lower payments to Medicare Advantage, which translates into increased premiums for Suffolk residents above what they charge in Nassau for the same or similar coverage. There are 30,402 seniors in Suffolk enrolled in Medicare Advantage and 36,742 in Nassau according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Schumer estimates that Suffolk residents pay approximately $2 million more in premiums this year because of the disparity. At a press conference at Spangle Drive Senior Center in North Babylon last week, Schumer was flanked by Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone and Congressmen Steve Israel and Tim Bishop, all of whom called upon the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to recalculate Suffolk's allocation to ensure permanent parity for Suffolk seniors with those in Nassau. Congressman Peter King (R-Massapequa Babylon), said that he worked on resolving the inequity two years ago, bringing some relief to Suffolk seniors in the program, but added that the problem is more than just a failure to include the Veterans Hospital numbers. "The main reason there is an inequity is because Suffolk is classified as a rural county," he said. "Why that's so, no one seems to know, but it is a very complicated issue." King said he would support Schumer's bill, if asked to, but is also working on legislation that would require that the federal government come up with numbers for all of the counties that have no more than a 5 percent disparity. "There will always be a disparity when you are dealing with New York City and suburban counties, but a 5 percent difference seems like something that is at least reasonable."
"Whether someone needs health care should not be based on whether they live in Nassau or Suffolk," said Schumer. "This ridiculous inequity is literally taking money out of the pockets of tens of thousands of Suffolk County seniors, and making it harder for them to get the care they need and deserve."
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