The Medicare Advantage programs are choosen by many due to the added benefits they gain from the plans. However, it is best to always be fully aware of any limitations. Call your Medicare Advantage plan and ask for a list of Home Health Companies, physicians and Skilled Nursing Facilities that take the insurance. Elder Law Answers recommends talking with your physicians to see how it is for them to work with a particular plan and any limitations. Then call the ones you would like to put in your "emergency" if needed plan and confirm they are still taking the medicare advantage plan. In addition, visit a few of the facilities so you know what your choices would be if you required rehabilitation in a skilled nursing facility following a hospitalization. Also, carefully review co-pays.
You also need to be aware that if you choose to disenroll you are limited in your ability to get medigap insurance. This is because when you get in a Medicare Advantage plan you are ineligible for Medigap insurance!
Here is a great example of information Dear Marci shares. I have submitted questions to this site in the past and received a response within 24 hours!
I signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan last fall, but now I’m not happy with my plan. Can I switch back to Original Medicare? - Hayden (Marion, IA)
Dear Hayden,
Dear Hayden,
You can switch back to Original Medicare from January 1 to February 14. This six-week period at the start of every year is called the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period (MADP), and it’s when people with a Medicare Advantage plan from a private insurance company can switch to Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program offered directly through the federal government.
If you switch to Original Medicare during the disenrollment period, you can usually also enroll in a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). This is true even if your Medicare Advantage plan did not include drug coverage. The one exception is if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan that’s a Private Fee-for- Service (PFFS) plan and already have a stand-alone drug plan. If this is the case, then you must keep the drug plan you already have.
Switching from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare and enrolling in a stand-alone drug plan are the only changes you can make during the disenrollment period. You can’t enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan. People with Original Medicare and people with a Medicare Medical Savings Account plan can’t make any changes to their coverage during this period.
Changes you make during this period are effective the first of the following month. For example, if you switched from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare and a stand-alone prescription drug plan on February 10, your new coverage would begin March 1.
You can usually only switch your Medicare coverage during certain times of the year. If you miss the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period, then you may be able to change your coverage if you have special circumstances that qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Click here for a list of situations that would give you a Special Enrollment Period. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the next Fall Open Enrollment period.
If you switch to Original Medicare during the disenrollment period, you can usually also enroll in a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). This is true even if your Medicare Advantage plan did not include drug coverage. The one exception is if you are in a Medicare Advantage plan that’s a Private Fee-for- Service (PFFS) plan and already have a stand-alone drug plan. If this is the case, then you must keep the drug plan you already have.
Switching from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare and enrolling in a stand-alone drug plan are the only changes you can make during the disenrollment period. You can’t enroll in a new Medicare Advantage plan. People with Original Medicare and people with a Medicare Medical Savings Account plan can’t make any changes to their coverage during this period.
Changes you make during this period are effective the first of the following month. For example, if you switched from a Medicare Advantage plan to Original Medicare and a stand-alone prescription drug plan on February 10, your new coverage would begin March 1.
You can usually only switch your Medicare coverage during certain times of the year. If you miss the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period, then you may be able to change your coverage if you have special circumstances that qualify you for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Click here for a list of situations that would give you a Special Enrollment Period. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the next Fall Open Enrollment period.
Remember, if you switch to Original Medicare during the disenrollment period, federal law does not usually give you the right to buy a Medigap plan that would help pay your out-of-pocket costs in Original Medicare. The laws in your state might give you more rights. Medigap plans are supplemental polices that help pay for Original Medicare deductibles and coinsurances. You should check with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program to find out if and when you can enroll in a Medigap plan in your state. —Marci" (from Medicarerights.org)
So, I hope this information helps. There is so much information on this subject that it can be overwhelming. It is nice to know there are websites with great information and resources for all of us to use and learn from.
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