When looking to cover the expenses Medicare does not pay, most seniors choose either a Medigap plan (also known as a Medicare Supplement) or Medicare Advantage plan.
We are contracted with many of the Medicare Advantage plans in your area. Below are some important things to know about Medicare Advantage plans. For details
on how Medigap plans work, see the link on the left.
- Medicare Advantage plans can be a great way to cover the expenses not covered by Original Medicare. They are different than Medigap plans, and a bit more
complex. Agents who offer them are required to get recertified annually with course work and exams, something not required for Medigap plans.
- There are several types of Medicare Advantage plans, including: HMO, PPO, and PFFS.
- For many plans there is no monthly premium. These plans are not free, however. Medicare transfers your Part B premium to the Medicare Advantage
company. So they are getting paid, but not any more than you’d have to pay anyway for Part B, so there is no additional cost to you to be covered by one.
- They usually include a prescription drug plan. Getting an MA plan with drug coverage means you do not have to purchase a Stand Alone Part D Drug Plan as you
would with a Medigap plan.
- Medicare Advantage HMO plans require you to receive all of your medical care—except in the case of an emergency—within a fixed network of doctors and hospitals.
In these plans you have a primary care physician (PCP); to go to a specialist you may need to be referred by your PCP to a specialist who is in network. This differs from a
Medigap plan, which allows you to go to any doctor or hospital that takes Medicare, with no networks and no referrals required for specialist visits.
- Most medical procedures and services have a copayment of some kind, though some plans may have no copayment for a primary care physician visit.
- All Medicare Advantage plans are required to have an out-of-pocket limit. Should your copayments reach the limit in a calendar year, all copayments drop to zero for
the remainder of that year. This limit varies by company.
- If you try an Advantage plan for the first time at age 65 and don’t like it for any reason during the first year, you may exercise your Trial Right. This allows
you to change to a Medigap plan with guaranteed acceptance.
- Medicare has strict rules on the way agents are allowed to interact with Medicare beneficiaries about Medicare Advantage plans. For any face-to-face meeting
where MA plans are discussed your advance written consent is required on a "Scope of Appointment" form. This form may be mailed to you, or sent to you via email with your consent.
The meeting cannot take place prior to the form being returned, and cannot be signed at the time of the meeting, with a few exceptions. Agents are prohibited from cold-calling you or
door-to-door soliciting you to discuss Medicare Advantage or Part D prescription drug plans.
The information above is intentionally general rather than specific. Medicare has lengthy compliance requirements required for plan-specific information. Please
call us if you have any questions about Medicare Advantage plans in general or any specific plan. We're happy to help you determine whether an Medicare Advantge plan is the right fit for
you.