Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Supplement: which is right for me?

They work very differently. Medicare Advantage replaces Original Medicare with one private plan, usually with a doctor network, often including drug coverage and extras, and typically with lower monthly premiums. A Medicare Supplement sits on top of Original Medicare and pays much of what it leaves behind: you can use any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare and your costs are steadier, but you buy Part D separately and pay a higher premium. The right one depends on your doctors, your budget and how much you travel.

More detail

Two neighbors can make opposite choices and both be right. One sees the same local doctors and wants a lower monthly premium and extras like dental. Medicare Advantage may fit her well. The other spends winters out of state and wants to see specialists without referrals. A Medicare Supplement may fit him better.

A few facts that often decide it: • Medicare Advantage plans have a yearly limit on what you pay for covered services. Original Medicare alone has no yearly limit, and that's the gap a Supplement helps fill • Advantage plans may need approval before certain services, and may require referrals • Moving from Advantage to a Supplement later can mean health questions, so your first choice matters

What to have ready: • Your doctors and hospitals • Your prescriptions • Your monthly budget and travel plans

If you'd like, I'll lay out both options side by side for your situation.