Half a million Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are at risk of losing their benefits: Who is affected?

Medicare has offered health insurance programs for adults ages 65 and older for decades, since most workers lose their health insurance when they retire. The rising cost of health insurance doesn't just affect seniors. Yet last year the National Council on Aging released a startling report that seniors' $54 billion in medical debt has doubled over the past twenty years. The study found that the majority of the four million seniors with medical debt are not chronically ill. Instead, “a single unexpected crisis — such as a car accident or a serious fall — can quickly plunge a person into debt.” The annual deductible for Medicare Part B, which covers hospital stays, is $1,632. In other words, that's the amount that must be paid before coverage kicks in, and for many retirees on fixed incomes, the deductible can lead to debt.

A single unexpected crisis—such as a car accident or a bad fall—can quickly send a person into debt. In fact, most medical debt is due to bills for one-time or short-term health expenses.

Medicare is made up of several components known as Parts A, B, C, and D. Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, allows recipients to pay for an additional plan that expands their health insurance coverage.

Unfortunately, Hundreds of thousands will lose their Medicare Advantage plans after one of the largest providers, Humana, announced it was withdrawing from thirteen markets across the country.

According to a report by Newsweek, the company's chief financial officer, Susan Diamond, made the announcement during a Wells Fargo Healthcare conference this month. Diamond revealed that about 560,000 members would have to find a new plan.

Beginning of the year Center for Medicare and Medicare (CMM) estimated that costs for Medicare Advantage insureds would increase by 3.70 percent. For example, when Humana exits less profitable regions, it highlights one of the main problems with the senior health care system. In a public system, access to health insurance is the top priority. But when providers are primarily interested in making a profit, some people are left without health insurance or with plans that are unaffordable for them.

The rising cost of health insurance doesn't just affect seniors; but last year the National Council on Aging released a startling report that found that seniors' medical debt has doubled to $54 billion in the last twenty years. In part, Medicare's high deductibles require seniors to