Advantage plans are total traps if you have poor health or unusual conditions. They essentially make money by trying every way possible to minimize providing medical care. You can use ONLY THEIR clinics, THEIR doctors, and THEIR hospitals, even if the nearest ones are 100 miles away. My advice is: don’t do it.
Best bet is a good Plan F and Plan D. Play F’s are standardized, i.e., identical by law, so go with the cheapest one - in our state, AARP’s United Health Care is the cheapest.
Plan D is much more difficult to figure out. I just switched to one this year with a very large formulary, no deductible, doughnut hole coverage etc.
This will all cost you more up front, but you’ll end up with the best medical care in the world, with the option to obtain medical care from almost any facility in the U.S. and almost any doctor in the U.S.
Great post. Plan G is also a great option.