Call your insurer or go to the plan’s website if you’ve misplaced that letter. If you’re already enrolled in Medicare, you’ve probably received an “annual notice of change” letter, which details any changes in your plan’s benefits. Start with these steps:Īssess your current coverage. Start researching your options several months before you first sign up for Medicare or before your open enrollment period, says Julie Carter at the Medicare Rights Center. A 2021 study he co-authored found that rural Medicare Advantage plan enrollees were nearly twice as likely to switch to Original Medicare as those in urban or suburban areas, possibly because the network of providers in rural areas is especially narrow, making it harder for people to make appointments and get care. Medicare Advantage plans may be especially problematic for people in rural areas, says David Meyers, PhD, an sssistant professor of health services, policy, and practice at Brown University. “It’s a riskier approach to health care,” Caughill says, which can also end up being more expensive.įor example, a recent Kaiser study found that about half of all Medicare Advantage enrollees would end up paying more than those in traditional Medicare for a seven-day hospital stay. “Some people in Medicare Advantage end up paying unexpectedly high costs when they become ill or find their network lacks the providers they need,” says Tricia Neuman, senior vice president at Kaiser.īut Medicare Advantage plans typically require that you get care from a more limited network of providers, and you may need pre-authorization to see specialists, says Melinda Caughill, a co-founder of 65 Incorporated, a firm that provides Medicare enrollment guidance. And Advantage plans can carry hidden risks, especially for people with major health issues. Choosing between the two requires careful consideration of your finances and health needs. Some also offer benefits not in Original Medicare, such as fitness classes or some vision and dental care. Plus, many people pay extra for Medigap, to cover copays and other out-of-pocket costs, as well as a Part D plan for drugs.Īdvantage plans (also called Part C), on the other hand, provide the benefits of Parts A, B, and often D, usually for about the same amount, with lower copays, so there’s no need for Medigap. That typically costs about $165 a month (with the cost deducted from your Social Security check). It’s easy to see the appeal: Original Medicare requires piecing together care from what’s called Part A, for in-patient hospital and skilled nursing care, and Part B, for doctor services. By 2032 about 60 percent of beneficiaries are expected to sign up for these plans. The pitches work: In 2022 nearly half of those eligible for Medicare were enrolled in Advantage plans, up from about a third in 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
That’s when you can switch coverage between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, or change your prescription drug plan. This marketing tsunami is timed to Medicare open enrollment, which runs from Oct.
Compare medicare advantage plans ma tv#
In your mailbox and on TV you’re being inundated with ads for Medicare Advantage plans, star-powered by the likes of William Shatner, all promising great care with low- or zero-cost premiums. If you’re one of the 64 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, you know that a deluge has begun.
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