Also known as Medicare Part C, the Medicare Advantage plan is one of the parts of Medicare:
- Medicare Part B – Medical Insurance.
- Medicare Part A – Hospital Insurance.
- Medicare Part D – Prescription drug coverage.
- Medicare Part C – Medicare Advantage integrates both Medicare Part A and Part B.
MA plans are also acknowledged as private health plans, and they have a contract with Medicare. To enroll in Medicare Advantage Plans 2024, you ought to be a member of the original Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B.
The factors you should be mindful of while choosing the best MA plan
Different people have a unique set of requirements; hence, they choose an MA plan according to their suitability. You should complete your homework first and understand all the choices available to you. This way, you can make a well-informed decision regarding your health plan. The following factors you should consider are:
- Are your preferred pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors present in your plan’s network?
MA plans have a list of in-network doctors. Hence, you should check whether your chosen doctors are listed in your plan or not.
- Have you chosen a plan that will permit you to visit non-network providers?
A few MA plans allow people to visit out-of-network doctors and most of the time, people are required to pay some money from their end to pay visits to these doctors.
Whether you take any kind of prescription drug regularly and whether your plan covers them
MA plans comprise the original Medicare benefits. Most often, they have Part D or prescription drug coverage, too. Hence, you need to find out the particular prescription drugs that you take and whether your plan covers them. For instance, a few Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans propose some medications too that require patients to pay $0 copays based on their drug-tier levels and drug lists. As drug lists continue to change every year, you should check whether your plan covers your prescription medications besides the money you need to pay for those medications.
Do you love to exercise and remain active, and does a fitness benefit catch your interest?
Many Medicare Advantage plans, besides covering services like hearing, vision, and dental, offer fitness programs that cater to older adults, and these programs help people make physical activities a vital part of their regular lives.
The cost of your plan and whether it is within your budget
Many factors play a dominant role in determining the OOP or out-of-pocket costs of Medicare Advantage like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. People are required to pay various costs based on their chosen MA plan. The costs are decided by the frequency with which you require medical services.
Will you benefit from some non-traditional benefits like food delivery services and transportation services?
A few MA plans propose some other non-medical benefits, too, like assistance with purchasing healthy foods, companionship, assistance with utility costs, aids for preventing falls, the allowance that is paid towards over-the-counter products, etc. When people use these services to enjoy a botheration-free life, they discover the best MA plans that cover them.