Medicare Advantage vs. Original Medicare

What Type of Medicare Plan Is Best for You?

Which Medicare plan is best for you? Lots of people are happy to answer that question for you.

That spokesman on a TV commercial says that if you just call a toll-free number, you can sign up right now for the best plan in the world because really nice people are waiting to help you. Your best friend tells you not to sweat the problem, just call the salesperson who sold him a policy and you can sign up in a minute and then get on with the rest of your day.

Everybody has an easy answer for you. But easy answers are not necessarily the right answers. And you shouldn’t be looking for easy answers anyway, because signing up for Medicare and a Medicare Plan (which are not the same things) is a major life decision, kind of like buying a house, picking a spouse, choosing a financial advisor, or deciding where to retire.

Plus, there are very practical reasons to take your time and make the right decision. If you make a mistake, you could end up paying penalties for the rest of your life . . . getting stuck with a bad policy that you can’t change . . . discovering that care for your most important health challenge is not covered . . . or worse.

The Five-Minute Rule for Making Major Life Decisions

Did you fall in love with the person you wanted to spend your life with . . . in just five minutes?
If you own a house, did you pick it . . . in just five minutes?
If you went to college, did you decide which one to attend . . . in just five minutes?
If you have a tattoo, did you pick out the design for it . . . in just five minutes?
If you need to have surgery, would you pick a surgeon and a hospital . . . in just five minutes?

So why are people telling you that you can pick the right Medicare plan . . . IN JUST FIVE MINUTES? It’s a major life decision!

So take your time and ask these questions to be sure you are choosing the right plan!

What Different Kinds of Plans Are There?

Medicare is kind of like alphabet soup. There is Part A & B (Original Medicare.) There is also Medicare Part D for prescription drug coverage. And there are Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement Plans (also known as Medigap). Is that TV spokesperson with the big hair going to explain all that to you when you call? You bet not.

But don’t worry. CoverRight offers you all the resources online that you need to get a solid education in what all these plans are and what all those names mean. You can visit our Medicare Learning Center to learn what you need to know.

What Do Different Medicare Plans Cover . . . And What Don’t They Cover?

You need the information to pick the right plan. But the good news is that you don’t have to absorb and know all that information, you only need to be able to find it when you need it, while you are trying to find the plan that’s right for you.

You can find all the information on what plans cover in our Medicare 101 course, a comprehensive free course to help you navigate Medicare. Check it out today.

What Are My Individual Care Needs . . . and Which Plan Covers Them?

It’s a bit of a balancing act, because you don’t want to pay a lot of money for coverage you don’t need . . . but at the same time, you don’t want to opt for a bare-bones plan that doesn’t cover what you need it to.

So make a list of your coverage needs and your wants. On the basic and must-have end of the scale, do you want to be able to continue to use your current primary care physician, pay minimal co-pays and deductibles, and to be sure any hospital visits will be covered? In the middle range of options, do you want to have the cost of most of your top-tier medications paid by a more comprehensive policy? And on the upper end of your choices, do you want dental coverage, vision coverage, and maybe coverage for chiropractic care? (That would mean buying the right Medicare Advantage.)

So, what do you absolutely need? What nice-to-have forms of care would you just like to have covered? And what higher-end forms of care would you be willing to pay for, if costs were reasonable? After making those decisions, which plans will match up with them?

Bear in mind, you don’t have to do all the searching for the right policies. CoverRight is here to do the matchmaking for you. It is easy to start the process by answering a few questions.

How Would You Like to Pay for Your Medicare and Medicare Plan Coverage?

Of course, you will have to pay something for Medicare. Part A is free for most people. Part B has a monthly premium.. . . and depending on what you choose there will be a monthly premium for a Medicare Advantage or Supplement Plan. If you choose a Medicare Supplement plan you will pay higher monthly premiums to cover more flexible health care coverage. People on a Medicare Advantage plan typically pay less (sometimes nothing) in monthly premiums. These plans have HMO and PPO networks and may require that you get pre-approval before visiting specialists and provide limited, if any, out-of-network coverage for medical care (not including emergency situations).

There are no right or wrong answers to those questions, it is only important to define and find what is right for you. A CoverRight Medicare Concierge can eliminate any confusion, ask the right questions, and help you choose.

Put CoverRight’s Medicare Plan Finder to Work for You

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a powerful, interactive online tool that would direct you straight to the Medicare plans that meet your needs?

Well, that tool does exist. It’s called the CoverRight Medicare Plan Finder. Check it out! You’ll want to start using it today.

This interactive platform will guide you to the plan that will match your needs and preferences.

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CoverRight is on a mission to make the Medicare plan selection process easy to understand. We are here to help you compare Medicare plans and find the one best suited to your specific situation. Try the platform for yourself.