Medicare Advantage Plans

When you first enroll in Medicare and during certain times of the year (like Open Enrollment), you can choose how you get your Medicare coverage. You have 2 main ways to get Medicare:

Original Medicare includes Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance). If you want drug coverage, you can join a separate Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D).
Medicare Advantage (also known as “Part C”) is an “all in one” alternative to Original Medicare. These “bundled” plans include Part A, Part B, and usually Part D. They also may offer extra benefits Original Medicare doesn’t cover. Your Medicare health plan decisions affect how much you pay for coverage, what services you get, what doctors you can use, and your quality of care. Learning about your Medicare coverage choices, getting help from people you trust, and comparing different plans can help you understand all the options available to you.

What are Medicare Advantage Plans?

A Medicare Advantage Plan is another way to get your Medicare coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans, sometimes called “Part C” or “MA Plans,” are offered by Medicare approved private companies that must follow rules set by Medicare. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll still have Medicare but you’ll get most of your Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) coverage from the Medicare Advantage Plan, not Original Medicare.

How do Medicare Advantage Plans work?

When you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare pays a fixed amount for your coverage each month to the company offering that plan. These companies must follow Medicare’s coverage rules. Medicare Advantage Plans have yearly contracts with Medicare. The plan must notify you about any changes before the start of the next enrollment year. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you’ll have all of the same rights and protections that you would have under Original Medicare.

What’s covered?

Medicare Advantage Plans cover all Part A and Part B services. However, if you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Original Medicare will still cover the cost for hospice care, some new Medicare benefits, and some costs for clinical research studies. In all types of Medicare Advantage Plans, you’re always covered for emergency and urgent care. Some Medicare Advantage Plans offer extra coverage, for things like vision, hearing, dental, and other health and wellness programs. Plans have a yearly limit on what you pay out-of-pocket for Part A and Part B covered

Prescription drug coverage: Most Medicare Advantage Plans include Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D). In certain types of plans that don’t include drug coverage (like Medical Savings Account Plans and some Private-Fee-for-Service Plans), you can join a separate Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. services. Once you reach your plan’s limit, you’ll pay nothing for Part A and Part B covered services for the rest of the year.

Give us a call today today to have one of our state licensed advisors do a review for you to see if a Medicare Advantage Plan is right for you.

Medicare Advantage Plans