[chimeracoder]

> The private plans you refer to are mainly either simply administrators (the government pays them to administer the benefits) or supplemental providers or both

No, they're much more than that.

> And their existence and popularity has more to do with their sponsorship by insurance funded politicians than anything else.

The programs are cheaper, provide better medical outcomes, and patients prefer them.

That doesn't mean they're perfect, but you have to bend over pretty far backwards to say that they're inferior and only popular because of "insurance-funded politicians".

> Dealing with these administrators isn't generally better or worse than dealing with the government directly. Exceptions exist, but that goes without saying.

It is monumentally easier to deal with private insurers than to deal with an Original Medicare plan.