For seniors on Medicare Advantage, lower costs can mean gambling with health care

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Medicare Advantage, a private alternative to traditional Medicare, offers extra benefits and low monthly premiums. However, prior authorizations and claim denials complicate this increasingly popular — and profitable — program for Medicare beneficiaries and their health care providers.

On a mid-November morning, Rick Cuddeford talked with Medicare-eligible Nebraskans about their options at the Saving Seniors Money office in Lincoln. His one-on-one discussions were timely, as the year’s open enrollment period ends on Dec. 7.

“We don’t push people one way or the other,” Cuddeford said. “Our job is to educate people about both options, and the