Medicare Advantage plans offer expanded benefits for your needs.

Medicare Advantage plans are alternatives to Original Medicare.

Medicare Advantage plans are different.

Sometimes referred to as Medicare Part C or MA plans, these plans are an alternative to Original Medicare Parts A and B. These plans have many things in common with Original Medicare, but they may also offer expanded benefits that aren’t available otherwise.

What is a Medicare Advantage plan?

These are plans that usually act as a bundle for Medicare Parts A and B. In many cases, they may also include Part D prescription drug benefits. Some plans may also include vision, hearing, and dental plans, making them more attractive than Original Medicare, which does not offer these benefits.

What are the benefits of a Medicare Advantage plan?

In addition to the expanded coverage noted above, there are other reasons a person may choose to enroll in an Advantage plan. These plans also provide an out-of-pocket spending limit, which protects against high medical costs, unlike Original Medicare.

Most plans require you to use providers within the plan’s network, though some allow out-of-network care at a higher cost. Here are other examples of benefits:

How do Medicare Advantage plans work?

These plans contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide Medicare Part A & B benefits through private insurance companies, which then contract with doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and other providers to form networks. Offering bundled coverage with extra perks like dental/vision, all under Medicare’s rules but with plan-specific costs and networks.

Medicare Advantage plans for Veterans

These plans work along with VA benefits, not replace them. You can have VA benefits and an MA plan simultaneously; the VA covers care at VA facilities, while the MA plan covers care outside the VA system. These plans do not have Part D prescription drug coverage. They are designed for Veterans who have access to prescription drug coverage as part of their VA benefits. However, they do offer dental, vision, and hearing, and most offer gym memberships.

Medicare Advantage and Medicare supplement plans.

Advantage plans do not work with Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) plans. Medigap plans are designed to cover out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments of Original Medicare. They cannot pay for the out-of-pocket costs of Medicare Advantage plans.

Contact us to learn more about Medicare Advantage plans. We’ll help you find a plan that fits your needs.