Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: How to Select the Right Medicare Plan?If you are here, it means you are looking to purchase a new Medicare plan or want to change your existing Medicare coverage. So, before picking the right plan for you and your family, you have to understand what different Medicare programs and their benefits are. Medicare is a health insurance program in the USA offered by the federal government to eligible citizens. People can enroll in Medicare programs if they’re older than 65 years or suffering from certain medical disabilities regardless of age.
Medicare programs are usually divided into Original Medical Plans and Medicare Advantage plan to offer various health insurance benefits. Original Medicare Plans are categorized into:
- Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
- Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
- Medicare Part D (Prescription Drug Coverage)
These plans cover all the medical benefits and services that a patient accesses health benefits from health care providers that accept Medicare.
The Medicare Advantage program is also known as Medicare Part C and offers some additional medical coverage along with all the benefits of original Medicare plans.
A USA citizen can prefer to purchase Original Medical Plans separately as per his or her medical needs or opt for a Medicare Advantage plan for added advantage. So, the question here is which program should you pick as your health insurance coverage? Let’s take a look at what these programs have to offer before making any decision.
Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage
If you choose to enroll in Original Medicare, you can either purchase Medicare Part A or Medicare part B program as per your medical needs. Someone with Part A or part B plan usually pay 20% of the cost of the services they access from health care providers. They can add Part D as a separate plan with their original Medicare policy for drug coverage.
When you prefer to enroll in the Medicare Advantage program, you will get all the benefits of Part A, Part B, and Part D Medicare policies with extra benefits such as coverage for dental, vision, and hearing-related medical services. Medicare Advantage or Medicare Part C program is like an all-in-one alternative to the original Medicare programs.
So, if you are still confused about which Medicare program offers an overall advantage, you can also consider the following points to make your decision.
Costs
If you don’t have supplementary coverage, there is no limit on how much you pay for medical services per year in the original Medicare program. While Medicare Advantage plans have a yearly limit on how much you pay from your pocket for services you get. After reaching a certain limit in your Medicare Advantage Plan, you don’t need to pay for covered services for the rest of the year.
Doctor and hospital choice
If you enroll in original Medicare plans, you can get medical services from any doctor or medical facility that accepts Medicare regardless of the program and network. While in Medicare Advantage Plan, you can access the services and benefits only from the healthcare facilities that participate in your plan’s network. It limits your choice with doctors and other healthcare providers.
Both the plans don’t offer travel coverage and you cannot get medical coverage outside the USA. Medicare Advantage Plans are more cost-effective but limits your choices as you cannot go to doctors and healthcare service providers out of your plan’s network. While original Medicare Plans offer more flexibility in choosing services and benefits you want to receive out of your health insurance programs.
A professional and licensed Medicare advisor or consultant can help you in picking the right Medicare program based on your requirements and how much you want to pay for healthcare coverage each year. If you are looking for Medicare Plans in Douglas County Georgia, contact us at The Mehler Group for a free consultation. We offer industry-leading assistance with help of licensed Medicare advisors to help you with Medicare enrollment in your area.
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