People think Medicare Advantage is a great option, but what they don’t realize is that these are plans that work like HMOs; they make money by reducing services. When Medicare HMOs started almost 20 years ago, the insurance companies lied, and told people they were cheaper, but benefits were as good as regular Medicare. That was a lie, and they got in trouble for it. The insurance company is in business to make money. They can’t do that if they provide the same benefits as regular Medicare. I’ll never forget a patient we had on the floor when I was a hospital RN. She was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, but she had been reporting a cough to her doctor for 2 years, but he had never ordered a chest X-Ray. He told her, after the diagnosis, that her HMO had refused to allow him to order one. Maybe he could have pushed for one, or maybe he tried and they wouldn’t relent; I don’t know, but the patient was the big loser.
I worked in the healthcare sector when Medicare Advantage was released. They have HMO, POS, PPO and FFS. The plans available are designated by your zip code. Currently, I have PPO and am very happy with my medical benefits. I also have dental, vision and hearing benefits. I will never have Original Medicare as long as Medicare Advantage is available but to each their own.