Medicare Advantage plans, the private insurance plans offered under Medicare, the government program for the elderly and disabled, are targets for cuts in heath care overhaul legislation because they cost more, per beneficiary, than traditional Medicare.

On Friday, CMS said it was examining whether Humana violated Medicare marketing rules or other federal laws, and asked the company to shut down a Web site that helped beneficiaries generate letters to lawmakers opposing the cuts, and to stop sending letters to beneficiaries enlisting their support in the fight.

The agency sent a letter on Monday to all plans, warning them not to send letters about the proposed cuts and called the effort misleading to beneficiaries.

The action came at the urging of Democratic Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, who has proposed Medicare Advantage cuts that are estimated at $123 billion over 10 years as part of his health overhaul legislation.

A spokesman said Humana has complied with CMS’s requests and is cooperating with the investigation, but it still believes beneficiaries “deserve to know the impact” of the proposed funding cuts. A spokesman for America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade group, also said “seniors have a right to know.”

This would definitely hurt my mother.

Even without knowing many details, we instinctively know that the Health Care Bill being offered is really, really bad. And if this is as bad as Rep. Dave Camp & John Boehner are saying it is...then they need to be more vocal about it and build more support against it. The majority of Americans are behind them...now move and defeat it...regardless of Sen. Reid's threats and attempts at political blackmail.

I saw a discussion about this this morning on the news. It's really bad for 2 reasons (as best I can understand). App. 1M+ seniors will lose their *option* for Medicare Advantage and the Administration & Max Baucus are gagging Humana by demanding that they NOT inform their policy holders of the proposed changes...basically keeping seniors in the dark about what this part of the Bill would do to their lives. Then the President has the nerve to go on TV and tell seniors that they can still choose to keep their coverage!!!