By Lisa Savage
Bangor (Maine) Daily News, Letters, September 30, 2021
Would people be shocked to find that an attempt to privatize Medicare in order to funnel profits to Wall Street investors is underway?
Direct contracting entities were created in 2020 during the Trump administration and continued under the Biden administration. Medicare patients are enrolled in direct contracting entities without their consent or even knowledge when and if their doctor or other provider signs up. Doctors are enticed to do so by promises that their fees will go up, but patients experience fewer benefits and are restricted from receiving care they need, all to profit the new direct contracting entity middleman.
There is already one direct contracting entity in Maine, which incorporated in early 2021. Most of the other states have direct contracting entities in them by now also.
What can Medicare recipients do? Ask health care providers if they’re using direct contracting entities. People can opt out by changing providers — but only if they know about it.
People can also sign a petition on Physicians for a National Health Program to stop this sneaky, back door attempt at privatizing Medicare: https://pnhp.salsalabs.org/DCEpetition…