SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Seniors are feeling the squeeze as Medicare costs climb this year, even as their incomes largely stay flat.
While reporting last week on the rising cost of insurance premiums, I ended up on the phone with a Medicare agent who told me it's a tough year for seniors, too. Their costs are going up while their income mainly stays the same.
So why are costs rising when Medicare is a system designed to be affordable for seniors?
I asked George Skaljak, who has worked in healthcare for decades and became a medicare agent seven years ago.
"Many of the plans - the Medicare Advantage plans are zero-premium plans. That doesn't mean that there are zero costs," Skaljak said.
He pointed to one example of how costs are climbing.
"On one of the more popular plans in San Diego, the moop went up from, I think, $3,400 to $4,450," Skaljak said.
The "MOOP" is the maximum out-of-pocket cost. Just as many are facing a higher premium every month, seniors on a specific kind of Medicare simply pay more when they need health care.
Skaljak said part of the pressure comes from a growing number of people entering the system.
"There are more people on Medicare, They say that 11,000 people a day in the United States turn 65 and that's when you're eligible for medicare," Skaljak said.
"Plus, people living longer," Skaljak said.
Skaljak also points to the Inflation Reduction Act, which was aimed at reducing healthcare costs for Americans a few years ago by requiring plans to pay for more of the share of prescription drugs. He said it did the opposite.
"As an example, we went from, back in 2021, from about 45 prescription drug plans to 10 drug plans in California," Skaljak said.
Despite all of that, Skaljak said all parts of Medicare are still better deals for seniors — and there are a lot of ways to save money.
He recommends applying for help at the Patient Advocate Foundation and looking for savings on prescription drug costs.
"Somebody that's a low income could qualify for [help]," Sklajac said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
