What are my main choices for getting Medicare coverage?
• Original Medicare Managed by the Federal government, it provides your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. (You can choose to have either one, or both parts.) You have to pay a deductible, and you are usually charged coinsurance each time you get services. You can add Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D) by joining a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. Costs and benefits vary by plan. You can also choose to buy a Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy to help pay some of the health care costs’ “gaps” (like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles). • Medicare Advantage Plans (called Part C) You must have both Medicare Parts A and B to join one of these plans. The plans provide all of your Part A and Part B services and generally provide additional services. You usually pay a monthly premium, and copays that will likely be less than the coinsurance and deductibles under Original Medicare. In most cases, these plans also offer Part D prescription drug coverage. These plans
