I disagree. I was 12 years on Medicare, and now past 8 years on Medicare advantage. I prefer the latter by a mile.
The reason it’s usually free to start is to lock you in after the no underwriting period. The prices increase much faster as time goes on and the MA provider is betting you won’t be able to qualify for a supplement once you realize you made a mistake. If you travel out of state MA is a poor choice. I went to the AZ Dept of Insurance and studied prices and increases. It wasn’t even close. That free MA costs way more in the long run. Some supplement providers also had high increases but certain names stood out as being cost effective. Pound for pound MA is the inferior option.
I agree, my experience is that Advantage is superior to Supplement, cost wise, to date. In my area, a decent supplement plan, including drugs, dental and vision, costs around $400 per month. I am currently paying $200 for an advantage plan I can live with. I pay this much because I am prescribed one drug whose retail cost is $540 per month. Insurance cuts it to $40 per month.
Oregon health insurance is expensive.