By George Bohmfalk, M.D.
Aspen (Colo.) Daily News, Letters, Nov. 8, 2025
Editor:
I was delighted to read Mr. Neubeckerās letter (āSeniors in āHappy Valley have few health care choices,ā Nov. 6, Aspen Daily News) about the discontinuation of Medicare Advantage plans in Garfield County; I hadnāt known that UnitedHealthcare/Rocky Mountain Health had withdrawn from this market. Rather than mourning it, this change should be celebrated.
Most seniors who have been hoodwinked into joining an MA plan do not appreciate its many pitfalls. Sure, it seems free, and you might even go to a Silver Sneakers gym once or twice. And it may cover the inexpensive drugs you take today, if not more costly ones you may need next year. But at least two enormous red flags should give any senior pause before signing up.
First, all MA plans are run by private, for-profit insurance companies, not the government. They are not in it to serve seniors, but to take in ā by various hooks and crooks ā much more money and to pay out far less in actual health care costs than the original, government-administered Medicare. Their primary tactic in this is across-the-board, even AI-generated, demands for prior authorization and denials of care.
UHC is pulling out of markets like Garfield County because, even with these fraudulent tactics, they still canāt make enough profit to satisfy Wall Streetās expectations. They are doing this only to shore up their stock price.
The other major red flag is that while your present providers may be in their network, the doctors and hospitals you may need next year may not be, and youāll be on the hook for huge out-of-network co-pays.
MA is great insurance, as long as you donāt get sick and need it. Yes, Medigap plans can cost a lot, but you may find a high-deductible one for under $50 per month. The real answer, to all of our health care problems, is for Trump to realize that his āconcept of a beautiful planā should be Improved Medicare for All, which would immediately solve all of this.