Villages Wellness: Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage

The Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP), which occurs each year, is from Nov 1st to Dec. 15, giving you a chance to review and make changes to your current Medicare coverage.

How many calls a day do you get saying you can save money on your Medicare? Too many, right? Most of these calls refer to Medicare Advantage plans. Knowing the difference between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage is vital in selecting the correct plan.

A private insurance company administers these all-in-one Medicare Advantage plans. They must be as good or better than Original Medicare and can have a significant amount of value packaged into them. But Advantage plans have a lot of moving parts. They require pre-enrollment to ensure coverage you can use at your desired places. When Medicare Advantage plans are suitable, they can be real cost savings to you.