What You Should Know About Medicare Advantage Health Plans

There are some options available for you to opt for when you plan to enroll in Medicare health plans. Medicare health plan is the government-sponsored health insurance program that is specially offered for people of 65 years old and over. There are four options available for you to choose from. If you plan for hospitalization you should choose Part A. If you plan for doctor visits you should choose Part B. If you plan for prescription drugs you should choose Part D. If you don’t find one that suits your health care needs, you can choose alternative choice, a Medicare Advantage health plans that is also known as Medicare Part C.

• Scope of Coverage
Although Medicare Advantage health plans have been offering more choice, they are still required to provide Medicare Part A and Part B benefits. When you enroll in Medicare Advantage plans you must ensure that the plans also cover emergency and urgent care needs. Before choosing the plan you desire, you should also make sure that your plans have coverage for items that are not covered under basic Medicare such as dental, vision, wellness care, hearing and health. Another thing you should keep in mind that Many Medicare Advantage plans also provide prescription drug coverage for the customers.

• Plan Types
Medicare Advantage health plans also offers more selection of plan types than those of basic Medicare. At least there are three plan types of offered for beneficiaries, they are Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), and Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans. Choosing one of the three types will require you to join a network of health care providers and you may not go outside the network, otherwise you may charge an additional fee. Whilst about coverages and Premiums of plans come in variety depending on the selected insurer and type of plan.

• Drawbacks
Although Medicare Advantage health plans offer more freedom of choice, you can still find some potential pitfalls. You should stay within a provider network to avoid an added cost and it may be prohibitive to see a specialist outside the network. You should know that they do not offer the basic Medicare standardization yet the plans are provided by private insurers.