Policy presentation Student’s Name Affiliation Professor’s name Date

Introduction I interviewed a senior woman approaching her sixty-eight birthday I will refer to her as Nicole to protect her privacy Ageing is associated with pains and dreaded aches Nicole suffers from infrequent heart attacks To understand how older populations deals with health issues and insurance covers, I interviewed a women approaching her sixty-eight birthday who I will refer to as Nicole for the protection of her privacy. According to Nicole, ageing is associated with pains and dreaded aches but she still considers this a natural progression that is according to God’s wishes. Notably, Nicole suffers from infrequent heart attacks, a chronic condition that worsens due to her lifestyle.

Payment for Health Insurance Nicole is enrolled with Medicare plan C. The Medicare advantage plan requires monthly premium payments Additional coverage provided by a private insurance company Notably, Nicole is enrolled on Medicare pan C, the Medicare advantage plan that requires monthly premium payments. The additional costs are incurred by her two daughters to ensure that she can get additional coverage from a private company such as the provision of medications.

Monthly Premiums An average of $175 per month This includes both the: Prescription Drugs Over the counter medications Considerably, the Medicare advantage plan provides additional coverage but it is more costly compared to both plan A and B. while the latter has an average cost of $75 monthly, the Medicare advantage pan has a monthly premium of approximately $175 per month. Significantly, this features both over the counter medications and prescription drugs.

Prescription Medications Medications prevent heart attack and stroke Slow the progression of coronary heart disease Prescriptions covered by the insurance plan Notably, the medications provided are important for her well-being as they prevent heart attack and stroke. The prescription drugs have been covered by the Medicare advantage plus insurance coverage. However, due to the high monthly premiums, her daughters, who are currently working, supplement the additional costs.

Different Health Insurance Coverage Medicaid insurance coverage Low-income adults Before enrolling for the Medicare insurance pan, Nicole had a different health insurance coverage with Medicaid which is designed for the low income adults. Despite this, she managed to enroll on the Medicare advantage plan after support from both her daughters who both work currently.

Medicaid Insurance Plan Worse compared to Medicare advantage plan insurance Provided hospital care, both outpatient and inpatient Physician Services Federal funds would reimburse prescription medications Compared to the current insurance plan, Medicaid was worse in that it provided different services some of which would take lengthy period. Despite the fact that hospital care, physician services and prescriptions medications were provided, it varied with states and highly depended on federal funding thus low quality service provision was often encountered.

Problems in the Healthcare System High insurance costs for the elderly Lack of insurance for low-income earners High cost of healthcare services Racial discrimination in health care According to Nicole, the notable problem in the healthcare system include high insurance costs for the elderly which is five time to that of the younger generation, lack of insurance for the low-income earners due to the high cost of health care services and racial discrimination in healthcare as whites tend to receive different health procedures compared to that of African Americans.

Recommendations Alternative insurance cover plans for the elderly population Provision of better insurance covers to the lower income earners. Subsidizing the cost of healthcare services Implementing anti-discriminatory policies Based on the highlighted challenges, Nicole highlights the need to provide alternative insurance cover plans for the elderly population above 65 years and provision of better insurance plans for the low income earners. Significantly, healthcare services should be subsidized by the federal government to enhance accessibility and anti-discriminatory policies should be implemented.

Medical Emergency Nicole suffered a heart attack The recovery period was approximately 2 months Total charges were approximately $71,900 Charges covered by the Medicare advantage plan Notably, Nicole suffered a heart attack that had a lengthy recovery period of two months. This incurred significant costs that amounted to $71,900s but was covered by insurance adjustments. The balance due was approximately $1,200 that she paid with her savings.

Conclusion Medicare for the elderly Medicare advantage plan High insurance costs for the elderly The interview with Nicole highlights how the elderly deal with health issues and issues associated with insurance coverage plan. While the Medicare advantage plan has provided her insurance cover for her condition, the high insurance costs incurred by the elderly is a major concern.