By Rebecca Vesely, San Mateo County Times (Excerpt) Thousands of Bay Area seniors in Medicare managed care plans will pay lower monthly premiums starting Monday, because of funding increases built into the new Medicare prescription drug law.

MORE...

Insurers in the region offering Medicare HMOs -- also known as Medicare + Choice or Medicare Advantage -- are slashing some costs now paid by members. Medicare HMOs are an alternative to traditional fee-for-service Medicare or supplemental plans.

Health Net is lowering monthly premiums of its Seniority Plus plan from $99 to $65 for San Mateo County members.

Those enrolled in Health Net's Seniority Plus will also pay less inpatient hospital fees. Members will pay $175 a day for five days, with longer stays free. Previously, members paid $175 a day for eight days.

PacifiCare Health Systems will drop monthly premiums for its Secure Horizons Plan 1 from $75 to $57 in the County.

More than 30,000 Bay Area seniors are enrolled in Secure Horizons. Members will be notified of benefit changes via mail this week.

Individual members of Kaiser's Senior Advantage will pay $65 in

premiums starting today -- a savings of $15 a month. About 190,000 people in Northern California are enrolled in Kaiser's individual Senior Advantage plan.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act, passed by Congress last December, is a sweeping new law that will add a prescription drug benefit in 2006 to the health insurance program for 41 million Americans over age 65.

The act provided more funding to Medicare HMOs -- about $12 billion over the next decade. Medicare HMOs serving the Bay Area said they received funding increases of about 10 percent over last year.
Source: San Mateo County Times
To read entire article click here:
http://www.sanmateocountytimes.com/Stories/0,1413,87%257E11268%257E1985863,00.html