Monday, August 12, 2013

Tips to Comparing Medicare Advantage Plans

Medicare advantage plan, also referred to as Medicare Part C, is mainly offered by private insurance companies. It is a voluntary healthcare program that can be purchased by Medicare eligible Americans. An individual cant apply for such a plan, unless she is qualified for original Medicare.

Medicare is a federal government funded medical insurance program which is especially created for the U.S. citizens of age 65 or more, or who have got Social Security disability allowance for over 2 years or individuals with chronic renal conditions. Advantage plans should have approval from traditional Medicare and provide coverage for entire Part A services including hospital stay and Part B services inducing outpatient visits along with some additional services like vision and dental care, and prescription drug coverage.

Applying for an advantage plan is undoubtedly a good decision being eligible for the same. However, if you want to get the most out of the plan, you must compare plans offered by different private insurers before making final buying decision. Here are some easy tips to compare Medicare advantage plans.
 
Know the plans - Learn differences between various types of plans such as Preferred Provider Organization or PPO and Health Maintenance Organization or HMO. While PPO plans offer enhanced flexibility in terms of providers options, they are often levied with higher rate of premium.
 
Use comparison tool - You will find online plan comparison tool on the official website of Medicare. Put your zip code and click the find plans button. You may be asked a bunch of questions regarding your present Medicare coverage, medications you take or your present pharmacies.
 
Narrow down the search - Narrow down the search by choosing plan type, premium amount, and range of medication cost that your insurer would pay and any other preferred combinations. However, you can choose all available options in order to compare everything that you are eligible for. Just click on the continue to plan results button check aforesaid options.
 
Review the plans - Review each and every plan the comparison tool results in. Conduct side-by-side comparison of the plan displayed on the website. Evaluate the premium price and extent of coverage of different plans to decide on the best plan that suits both your need and budget. Apart from these two factors, also evaluate the plans in terms of annual medicine costs by entering the medications into the online tool as well as the deductible, copayment, co-insurance, plan rating etc.
 
Contact Medicare - You may contact Medicare representatives to get help in advantage plan comparison in case you are interested in talking to someone personally instead of going online. Customer executives are always there to help you sort through available option and understand the application process. All private insurance companies can be reached by telephone and thus you can also contact them over phone.

These are the tips towards comparing Medicare advantage plans. You can surely follow these tips in order to get the best plan as per your requirement and financial ability.

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