January 1 through March 31 is a Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period for those who already have aMedicare Advantage plan. If you believed the commercials or the telemarketing calls and you thought Medicare Advantage was a great idea at little or no cost to you, then you were deceived. Medicare Advantage is a great deal for the insurance companies, but not for you. These plans are so tempting because there is little to no cost and they appear to offer you more benefits. Right? WRONG!!
If you want excellent medical coverage, then you need to return to Original, a standard Medicare Supplement policy and a stand alone Medicare Prescription Drug plan. Why? Because many of us will need some kind of medical care that may be expensive at some point in our lives. That's when people find out why they pay so little or sometimes nothing for their so-called "Medicare Advantage" plan. They will pay serious money our of their own pockets for lots of their medical care. (As long as you can guarantee that you will stay healthy all of your life, these plans will be great). But the minute something goes wrong, these plans let you down. People complain to me that they are "bleeding money" because their co-pays and co-insurance are costing them a fortune. They desperately want to return to Original Medicare and their Medicare Supplement. If this happens during their first year in a Medicare Advantage plan, then they can return to Original Medicare and their Medicare Supplement. BUT IF THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, then they can return to original Medicare, but may not be able to get a Medicare Supplement. So when they need medical care the most that's when they find out how bad their Advantage Plan actually is. It's very sad, but it happens to good people all the time.
So during this Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period (Jan 1 - March 31) make the wise choice...return to Original Medicare. Go back to your Medicare Supplement plan and enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug plan. I know it's more expensive than the fluff you get with the other plan, but it's medical coverage that has great value and won't leave you begging for money to pay your left over medical bills. Do it today...while you are healthy and before it's too late.