Leaving Medicare Advantage For A Medicare Supplement? Maybe You Should.
Posted on: 5 April 2021
Your Medicare Advantage (MA) program might have served you well for a time when you were first getting used to Medicare-based coverage. But If you're flirting around with moving over to a Medicare Supplement, then you're not alone, and below are reasons why others feel the same as you.
You've financially outgrown the need for Medicare Advantage
Have you recently sold and cashed out your whole life insurance policy? Have you come into a lump sum of cash, due to an annuity? Have you sold any assets, increasing your retirement cushion? Has anyone died and left you money in their will? If any of these apply, then you're going to have a lot more retirement cash to budget and enjoy. This will give you a lot more breathing room for expenses, but you'll likely start to realize all of the things that you suddenly afford. You might have done the math and realized that you don't have to settle for a restrictive Medicare Advantage plan because now, you can afford the monthly premium of a Medicare Supplement.
You've decided to live on the road
As of July of 2020, an article shared that an estimated 1 million people have decided to become full-time road warriors by living out of their RVs. Maybe you've decided that you'd finally like to experience life exploring the country. You want to ditch the headaches and restrictions that life in a housing sub-division dumps at your feet. But here's the thing about life on the road: Since you're never going to be in one place, it won't make sense for you to hold on to a primary care physician. Affordable MA plans are often based upon the HMO model, and this means that you'll deal with an assigned primary care physician. Since this isn't practical while you're on the road, a better choice might be to switch to traditional Medicare, supplementing it with a Medicare Supplement plan.
You're tired of navigating MA red tape
Unfortunately, it's up to vulnerable patients to stay abreast on whether or not their primary care physician is part of their MA network. Since many doctors give up on being part of networks, you could find yourself saddled with the burden of finding a new care provider that you trust.
What's more, MA plans can and often do change annually. This includes the networks, approved providers, and prescription formularies. Just when you're starting to get into a routine with a doctor, their staff, and a specialty prescription, you could find that you don't have access to any of these things next year! Then you're faced with two choices: Pay for what you've come to depend on out of pocket, or completely switch care providers and prescription treatments.
A health insurance agent who specializes in Medicare products can help you to make the transition when you're ready. It's crucial for you to make sure that your health care agent is either certified as a Medicare insurance agent (able to sell traditional Medicare products), or at least, they have a working understanding of how the federal Medicare system works.
Contact a local Medicare insurance agent to learn more.
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