3. Supplement OR Advantage
Now that you understand your options, it’s time to look more closely at how they compare.
Medicare Supplement plans work alongside Original Medicare and help cover the 20% that Medicare does not pay. These plans often offer more flexibility when choosing doctors, but they typically come with higher monthly premiums and require separate plans for prescription drugs and other services.
Medicare Advantage plans, on the other hand, combine hospital, medical, and often prescription drug coverage into one plan. Many plans have low or even $0 premiums and may include additional benefits like dental, vision, and hearing. However, they usually operate within provider networks and involve copays for services.
Which is better for you? If your doctor is in an Advantage plan, why pay thousands of dollars a year extra & get nothing for it? It used to be the traditional supplement, which was desired due to no pre-authorizations needed, but now that traditional supplements need authorizations too for some procedures, it just doesn't make any financial sense to pay extra.
🟦 Traditional Medicare + Supplement
Pros:
- Broad access to doctors nationwide who accept Medicare
Cons:
- Monthly premiums are higher
- Premiums will increase over time
- Separate plans are needed for:
- Prescription drugs (Part D)
- Dental, vision, and hearing
- Switching plans later requires underwriting in most cases
- Routine wellness checkups are not covered
- You are responsible for managing multiple plans
Common Myth:
“This option provides lifetime stability with no changes.”
Reality:
The any-doctor-network comes with a high price tag that increases with time. At a later date, the only way to lower your premium is to be re-underwritten. If you are not approved, your only choice is to endure the higher costs or go to a Medicare Advantage plan anyway.
The true cost in the end, besides the loss of money, is the lost opportunity of what that money could have been used for, specifically providing hundreds of thousands of dollars of elder comfort care cash.
🟪 Medicare Advantage (All-in-One Option)
Pros:
- Little or no monthly premium in most cases
- Potential monthly cash-back benefits (Part B giveback, depending on plan)
- Additional benefits may include:
- Grocery or food allowances
- Over-the-counter (OTC) health items
- Dental, vision, and hearing are often included
- Many plans allow access to your current doctor (especially PPO plans)
- Wellness visits and preventive services are typically covered
Cons:
- While copays are required for most care, our gap strategy reduces or eliminates this risk.
- Advantage plans do have networks. HMOs are network only & require a primary care doctor referral, but PPO plans do not & have both in and out of network access.
- Prior authorization may be required for certain services, but now even Traditional supplements do as well in these states: NJ, OH, OK, TX, AZ, WA.
Common Myth:
“If I get sick (like cancer), I can’t go back to Medicare.”
Reality:
You always keep Medicare Parts A and B for life.
Unlike Traditional supplements, which require underwriting to change plans. Advantage plans have the ability to change plans each year guaranteed
Like the $0 premium but want to eliminate the copays?
KFF Loves Medicare Advantage
Kaiser Family Foundation article published Sept 16, 2022, compiled 62 studies and finds “Few Big differences between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage on a variety of Measures.” Rest assured, you will be happy with your plan- more people now have Medicare Advantage than traditional Medicare & that is accelerating the premium increases for the Traditonal die hards. If you are on the fence, you shouldn’t be, but if you are, Advantage plans have a guaranteed 1-year try it, you like it, or you can change back policy.
Beneficiary Experience
“Satisfaction, access to care, care coordination, and experience with prescription drugs: Beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare reported similar rates of satisfaction with their care, and similar experiences with wait times, finding a new provider, and overall measures of care coordination. However, Medicare Advantage enrollees were more likely to report having a usual source of care, receiving information during care transitions, and having better experiences getting needed prescription drugs”.
Medicare
Supplement
Medicare
Advantage
+ The government premium of $202.90
Your benefit package may include one or a combination of Aetna Protection Series plans: Recovery Care Choice, Home Recovery Care Insurance.
How this works (formula)
Supplement Total = Doctor + Drugs + Dental + Hearing + Vision + Copay GAP + Part B Deductible + Part B GivebackAdvantage Total = Doctor + Drugs + Dental + Hearing + Vision + Copay GAP + Part B Deductible + Part B GivebackEstimated Savings = Supplement Total − Advantage TotalWhat Comes Next Matters Even More
The opportunity to grow old gracefully and with dignity.
In the next step, we’ll show you how we can make the best impact for you to preserve your quality of life.