Study: Private Medicare costs $5.2B more
(AP)


<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061130/ap_on_he_me/private_medicare_plans"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20061128/capt.db7a39288d5946b7b491571e1b15e542.business_of_life_nybz202.jpg?x=84&y=130&sig=oTeRiNgs8Nbf4mqWZH2OfA--" align="left" height="130" width="84" alt="James Antonoff poses with his daily prescriptions at his home, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006 in Alpharetta, Ga. Antonoff, 80, who requires 13 prescriptions for a litany of aliments including glaucoma and gout, experienced difficulty selecting an affordable Medicare drug plan for next year. Changes to his current plan made it too expensive for 2007, so he and his wife Marlys spent 40 hours comparing alternatives. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)" border="0" /></a>AP - Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in private, managed care plans cost the government 12.4 percent more than those in the traditional program last year, for a total cost of more than $5.2 billion, according to a study released Thursday.</p><br clear="all"/>