Medicare Advantage Plans

 Medicare Advantage Plans are another way to get your Medicare Part A and Part B 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. Most Medicare Advantage Plans include drug coverage (Part D).
In most cases, you’ll need to use health care providers who participate in the plan’s network. These plans set a limit on what you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket each year for covered services. Some plans offer non-emergency coverage out of network, but typically at a higher cost. 
Keep your red, white, and blue Medicare card in a safe place because you’ll need it if you ever switch back to Original Medicare.

Below are the most common types of Medicare Advantage Plans.   
*Medicare Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs)
*Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO)
*Private Fee-for-Service Plans
*Medicare Special Needs Plans

When you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you use the health insurance card that you get from the plan for your health care.
In most of these plans, there generally are extra benefits and lower co-payments than in the Original Medicare Plan.
Most Medicare Advantage Plans are managed care plans, usually a health maintenance
organization (HMO) or a preferred provider organization (PPO) and you may have to see doctors that belong to the plan or go to certain hospitals to get services.

To join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will have to pay your monthly Medicare Part B premium to Medicare. In addition, you may have to pay a monthly premium to your Medicare Advantage Plan for the extra benefits that they offer. In 2023, the standard Part B premium amount is $164.90 (or higher depending on your income). However, some people who get Social Security benefits pay less than this amount.

When can I enroll?
Keep in mind that Medicare limits when you can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage Plan. You can join a plan when you first become eligible for Medicare. This is anytime beginning three months before the month you turn 65 and ends three months after the month you turned 65.
*For example, if you turn 65 on May 5, your eligibility period starts on February 1 and ends on August 31.
*If you are disabled and have Social Security Disability Insurance, you can join an advantage plan three months before to three months after month 25 of your disability. *You can switch or drop your Medicare Advantage during an enrollment period between October 15 and December 7 of each year. 

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