$0 Medicare Plans
There really are many $0 Medicare plans that provide all the coverage you would need. These plans include major medical coverage, prescriptions, and extra benefits. These are Part C Medicare Advantage plans. You might have heard of these plans before or received ads for them in the mail or on TV. Although the plans themselves are great deals, you should know what you are giving up before you switch. You should also speak to a local health insurance broker so you can look at all your options. Call centers and 1-800 numbers do not have full access and generally steer you into one policy.
What You Are Giving Up
If you have a Supplement plan or you are brand new to Medicare, you could be losing a couple of important aspects of your Medicare coverage by enrolling in an Advantage plan. The most important is access to doctors. Medicare Advantage plans have a specific list of doctors that you can use. This list is usually just local doctors in your area. These plans cover emergencies and urgent care nationally but the list of physicians is more limited than other choices. Other Medicare plans cover any doctor in the United States that accept Medicare.
You also pay more out of pocket on Medicare Advantage plans as opposed to other choices. Other Medicare plans, like Supplement or Medigap Plans, have little to no out of pocket expenses for medical services. Advantage plans have copays and coinsurance when using the policy. This can add up over the year if you are using the plan often.
What Medicare Advantage Offers
A $0 Medicare plan will replace Original Medicare as the primary payer of your medical expenses. Some copays for doctor services can be zero while your copay for hospitalization might be a few hundred dollars a day. The plan also includes prescription drug coverage for no extra cost which replaces any separate Part D plan.
These plans also provide coverage for extra benefits that Orginal Medicare does not. Extra benefits include dental, vision, hearing aids, gyms, and more. These benefits are no-cost additions to the policy and are a fantastic option if you need help paying for these services. Give our office a call for specifics on how your plan compares with other options.
