LINCOLN- With just under two weeks before the Medicare open enrollment period begins, Nebraska hospital officials urged seniors to look carefully and make sure they know what they’re signing up for when they select a plan. During open enrollment, seniors can choose between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which are administered by private health insurers. A shift has been underway in recent years, with about 54% of the eligible Medicare population now enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans.

The plans can look appealing when compared with traditional Medicare, Jeremy Nordquist, president of the Nebraska Hospital Association, said. They may offer lower out-of-pocket expenses and additional benefits including dental, vision, and hearing coverage, as well as perks such as free groceries and gym memberships. But Nordquist added during a media call Tuesday that some Medicare Advantage plans restrict access to health services by inappropriately denying covered services that are medically necessary and by requiring extensive documentation to demonstrate that necessity.

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