Bob Schulbaum, President of the Alliance of Delray Residential Associations at their monthly meeting this morning, January 2, spoke about the current situation regarding Medicare allowances to HMO’S:
"Several years ago HMO’s were leaving Palm Beach County in droves. Those that remained charged up to $90 per month and reduced benefits. A large difference in benefits allowed between Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach County was discovered at that time. This inequity was called to the attention of then U. S. Congressman Wexler, Hastings, Shaw and Foley by the Alliance of Delray and was eventually corrected so that Palm Beach County came within $50 of the allowance in Miami-Dade.
Here we are five years later and our good neighbor Jerry Lazarus, who monitors this for us informed me that the current monthly Medicare allowances to HMO’s in Miami Dade are $1,198; Broward $1,026 and Palm Beach County $966—a difference of $233 per individual, per month or $466 per couple between people living in Palm Beach County and Miami-Dade. Benefits are being allowed by HMO’s in Miami-Dade that they are not offering here in Palm Beach County. In fact some HMO’s have discontinued enrollment of patients in Palm Beach County altogether.
In the next two weeks the Alliance will again contact our elected officials to urge them to correct this inequity. There is no reason the seniors in Palm Beach County should be treated differently than those in Miami-Dade."