>> Eric: OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGAN THIS WEEK FOR MEDICARE.

AND SENIORS ARE SEEING THE SAME RISING PREMIUMS FACING MANY MINNESOTANS.

IN ADDITION THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE MARKET IS OFFERING FEWER CHOICES AND SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS.

IT'S A COMPLICATED ISSUE AND HERE TO EXPLAIN IT, CHRISTOPHER SNOWBECK.

HE COVERS THE HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY FOR THE "STAR TRIBUNE."

WHAT IS IT WITH THE ADVANTAGE PLANS THAT THEY'RE TAKING THE BRUNT OF THIS?

WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?

>> WELL, I MEAN, -- WELL, YEAH.

BIG PICTURE, COSTS ARE GOING UP.

THE ADVANTAGE PLANS, THERE'S MORE PRESSURE ON THE FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

PLANS SAY IT HASN'T BEEN KEEPING UP WITH THE RISING COSTS.

WE WERE AROUND THIS TABLE PREVIOUSLY TALKING ABOUT RISK ADJUSTMENT IN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE ADVANTAGE AND CONTROVERSY ABOUT HAVE THE PLANS BEEN GAMING IT, GOVERNMENT'S KIND OF TIGHTENING THAT UP.

THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE MIX, BUT KIND OF IT'S COST AND FUNDING.

>> Mary: I'M GUESSING OME OF THE PEOPLE WATCHING HAVE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE, A DECENT AMOUNT OF MINNESOTANS, ISN'T IT LIKE HALF?

>> YEAH, I THINK IT'S ABOUT 650,000, MAYBE SOME COST PLANS IN THERE, IF YOU WANT TO TALK COST PLANS, BUT, YEAH.

SO IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.

>> Mary: SO THE IMPACT IS BIG.

PEOPLE SEEM TO BE STRUGGLING, ARE YOU GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS?

I KNOW I'M HEARING FROM FAMILY MEMBERS TRYING TO NAVIGATE THIS.

WHAT KIND OF QUESTIONS ARE YOU HEARING MOST?

>> YEAH, THE BIGGEST POCKET OF CHANGE IS UCARE, UCARE IS REALLY POPULAR, 158,000 PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA.

UCARE IS NOT GOING TOED DO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE IN JANUARY SO ALL THOSE FOLKS HAVE TO FIND A NEW PLAN.

THEY HAVE A PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING QUESTION BECAUSE THERE'S MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AND THEN THERE'S ORIGINAL MEDICARE, AND IF YOU DO ORIGINAL MEDICARE THERE'S A MEDIGAP AND THERE'S A PART D. AND SO YOU GOT TO KIND OF WEIGH THE TWO.

SO THERE'S A LOT TO CONSIDER.

>> Eric: INDIVIDUAL COUNTIES ARE BEING TARGETED FOR LEAVING TOWN?

IS >> YEAH.

THREE COUNTIES IN THE STATE WILL HAVE NO MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLANS.

HISTORICALLY THAT'S BEEN AN ISSUE WITH MEDICARE ADVANTAGE, WHEN IT ALL STARTED IT WAS MORE OF A METRO THING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> Eric: IT WAS TOUTED AS KIND OF A MISSING PIECE TO THE HEALTH CARE PUZZLE, WASN'T IT AT THE TIME IT ECAME FAMOUS?

>> SURE, YEAH.

NO, THAT'S RIGHT.

AND IT REALLY CAME ON WITH PART D BACK IN 2005, THERE BEES.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT BIG PICTURE PREMIUMS, MINNESOTA HAS A LOT OF FORTUNE 500, BIG EMPLOYERS, WHAT ABOUT GROUP INSURANCE, INCREASES ARE WE HEARING ON THAT?

>> YEAH, SO THE FORWARD LOOKING SURVEYS GUESSING 6.5% IS WHAT MERCER HAS REPORTED.

IT'S KIND OF A HARD NUMBER TO THINK ABOUT IN THE SENSE THAT SOME YEARS AGO IT WAS DOUBLE-DIGITS AND EVERYBODY WAS FREAKING OUT.

AND SO YOU THINK, WELL, 6.5.

BUT THE BASE IS SO BIG, 6.5% ON THE HUGE BASE IS SIGNIFICANT, AND 6.5 IS HIGHER HAN IT'S BEEN IN ABOUT 15 YEARS.

>> Mary: DOES THAT MEAN CONSUMERS ARE LIKELY O SEE THAT 6.5% OR COULD THAT BE A HIGHER NUMBER DOWN THE FOOD CHAIN?

>> YOU KNOW, IT REALLY DEPENDS HOW THEY SPLIT THE COSTS.

>> Eric: WHAT ARE THE COST DRIVERS THAT HAVE BROUGHT US TO THIS POINT?

>> YOU KNOW, THE ONE THAT EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT IS THE GLP1s SO WEIGHT LOSS DRUGS, THEY'RE BOTH COSTLY AND EXTREMELY POPULAR.

SO LOTS OF NEW SPENDING.

I HEAR FROM PHYSICIANS ABOUT A LOT OF SPECIALTY TREATMENTS WITH NAMES I DON'T REMEMBER, FRANKLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY CUTTING EDGE STUFF THAT'S COMING ONLINE WITH REALLY BIG MONTHLY COSTS.

>> Mary: YOU MENTION THE PREVALENCE OF THE WEIGHT LOSS AND OZEMPIC, A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT NAME, ARE WE SEEING OTHER HEALTH CARE COSTS GO DOWN, THOUGH, IN RELATION TO THAT?

>> I MEAN, THAT IS THE BIG-PICTURE HOPE.

I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'VE SEEN -- HOW MUCH OF IT WE'VE SEEN IN THE DATA YET, BUT THAT'S THE HOPE.

>> Mary: THAT WAS KIND OF THE PROMISE AND IDEA THAT EVENTUALLY THAT WOULD PAY OFF.

>> YEAH AND IT'S ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS ALWAYS WITH HEALTH INSURANCE TOO, COSTS TODAY VERSUS COSTS IN THE LONG RUN, IF YOU DO GOOD THINGS TODAY DO YOU SEE THOSE SAVINGS BECAUSE PEOPLE GO TO A DIFFERENT INSURER AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.