Government offices are reporting a record surge in calls with Medicare questions.
As Medicare open enrollment begins, Minnesota Aging Pathways is reportedly getting thousands of calls every day.
Medicare Program Director Kelli Jo Greiner says seniors are specifically calling about the projected 18% average premium increase for Medicare Advantage plans next year.
Extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic is at the heart of the ongoing government shutdown. But the credits are in danger of expiring as Republicans and Democrats clash over how to do it.
"It is a large increase for people to have to bear," says Greiner. "This next week, the federal government is supposed to announce the cost of living adjustment for Social Security. We'll know what the increase is going to be in people's Social Security check. And our big concern is it isn't going to be enough. "
Greiner is encouraging people to call 1-800-Medicaid to avoid long wait times on the Minnesota call line.
The deadline to finalize coverage is December 7.
"We have never seen a call volume like this," adds Greiner. "We're getting about 2,000 calls a day, and on a normal day, we get about 200. There's 158,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota that have to make a plan change so it's in effect on January 1."
Greiner says the confusion is compounded by many patients, particularly those at Mayo Clinic, discovering their doctors are suddenly out-of-network under certain programs like UnitedHealthcare and Humana, used by thousands of Minnesotans.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce says average premiums on the individual health care market will increase roughly 22% next year. That pales in comparison of those on state-sponsored MNsure, which CEO Libby Caulum says is set to jump by 54% for the 90,000 enrollees in that program.