How do I compare “stand-alone” drug plans with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans?
The critical question is what kind of medical services you want. These are points to consider: * Traditional Medicare doesn’t include drugs, so you’d also need to join a separate stand-alone plan (which covers only drugs) to get drug coverage. * Most MA plans offer medical and drug coverage as a comprehensive package, but not all cover drugs. * Joining an MA plan means receiving your Medicare health benefits through the plan and accepting its terms and conditions. * Being enrolled in an MA plan usually means going to the doctors and hospitals in its regional network or paying more to go out of network. (Two types of MA plans, known as Private Fee for Service and Medicare Medical Savings Accounts, have different arrangements.) Traditional Medicare allows you to see any health providers that accept Medicare patients, anywhere in the country. * You cannot be in a stand-alone drug plan at the same time as being enrolled in an HMO or PPO type of Medicare Advantage plan, even if the MA plan
