Medicare Supplement vs Medicare Advantage plans in Miami Florida
Which should you choose?

If you live in the Miami Florida region and you have your original Medicare coverage secured, you will have a choice of options for improving your coverage.  You may combine your Original Medicare plan with a Medicare Supplement plan, or you can sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Two out of three people in Miami, choose the Medicare Supplement option, one third choose the Medicare Advantage option.  The Medicare Advantage option is growing in popularity.  So, which option is right for you? A brief explanation of the workings of both options may help.

Good to know:  Do the math.  When shopping for health insurance, most people focus on the monthly premiums, but you also need to take a close look at deductibles.  For example, if you have a choice between a lower silver plan premium of $345 a month for a plan with a $5,500 deductible, and a higher gold plan premium at $465 a month with a $1,750 deductible, you may be better off with the second plan if you anticipate needing more than $1,500 in medical care.  With the second plan, your total annual cost for the premium and deductible comes to $7,330, a $2,310 savings over the lower premium plan.

How A Medicare Supplement Plan Works
A Medicare Supplement plan is designed to fill in the "gaps" in your Original Medicare coverage. Medicare supplement plans don't work like most health insurance plans.  They don't actually cover any health benefits.  Instead, if you incur a medical bill, these plans cover the portion of the bill that Medicare does not cover.  These costs can include:

• Your Medicare deductibles.
• Your coinsurance.
• Hospital costs if your stay runs beyond the Medicare covered hospital days limitations.
• Skilled nursing facility costs if your stay runs beyond the Medicare covered skilled nursing facility limitations.

Here's how Medicare supplement plans in Miami,FL work: You pay a monthly premium for your Medicare supplement plan.  In return, the plan pays most of your out-of-pocket expenses.  How much the plan pays, depends upon the plan type you select.  For example, if you go to see a physician, Medicare will only pay 80% of the bill.  You are responsible for paying the remaining 20%.  However, you are covered by a Medicare supplement plan, the supplement plan would pay the 20%.  You would owe nothing.

There are 10 standardized plans available – labeled A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N – that cover anywhere from four to nine of these benefits:


• Medicare Part A coinsurance for hospital costs (up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used).
• Medicare Part B coinsurance, copayment.
• First three pints of blood for a medical procedure.
• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment.
• Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance.
• Part A deductible.
• Part B deductible.
• Part B excess charges.
• Foreign travel emergencies.


Keep in mind, all 10 Medicare supplement plans cover the coinsurance and 100 percent of hospital costs for Medicare Part A, but after that, plans differ in what they cover. With Original Medicare, you are free to see any doctor who accepts Medicare patients, with no referrals required.




University of Miami hospital 1400 NW 12th Ave Miami, FL 33136 Telephone: (305) 325-5511 Plus Code: QQQM+8G Miami, Florida






How Medicare Advantage plans work in Florida

Medicare Advantage plans (also known as Medicare Part C) combine doctor, hospital and often drug coverage into one plan.  Some may cover routine dental, vision and hearing needs, and may offer other services. Most Advantage plans offer prescription drug coverage.

Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private health insurance companies.  These insurance companies provide consumers with Advantage plan coverage. In turn, rather than Medicare paying a physician or hospital for services provided, Medicare pays an ongoing, predetermined amount to the insurance company for providing the Advantage plan coverage.

Medicare Advantage plans usually have copays and deductibles, but many limit the total amount you will have to pay for medical expenses out of pocket each year. Medicare Advantage plans work like the managed care plans you may have had during your working years.  You will have to receive your care from doctors, hospitals, and other providers within the plan's network. Plans can be health maintenance organization (HMO), or preferred provider organization (PPO).  If you have an HMO, you can only visit doctors and hospitals in those networks.  PPO plans have out-of-network benefits as well.  Visits to a specialist often require referrals, and some types of care may require advance approval.  There are several distinct physician / hospital networks in the Miami Florida region.  If you have a doctor or facility preference, be sure to confirm their participation in the plan's associated network - before you purchase the plan.

Whichever option you choose, it is an important choice.  Be sure to speak directly with a Medicare insurance professional before you make your decision.

Good to know:  Shop Generic Drugs.  If you're looking to reduce your medical bills and reduce out of control medical spending, you can start by shopping generically.  Consumers tend to think of generic options as less effective or even as harmful.  This is not the case, however, when it comes to generic prescription drugs.  Though these alternatives may not be as flashy as the name-brand drugs advertised on commercials, they treat patient illnesses just as effectively for only a fraction of the cost.  You can increase your drug savings even more by shopping in preferred pharmacies or online at vendors such as GoodRx.  These options allow you access to a wide range of generic and name brand drugs at lower costs.  Preferred pharmacies take the extra step of reducing dispensing fees, saving you even more money on your next drug purchase.  For this reason, it's worth seeing if a preferred pharmacy network is included in your healthcare plan.  If not, you may want to review your options and see if adding such a plan would benefit you.






Other articles:  Is Short-Term Health Insurance Right For You?
Finding Short-Term Health Insurance.
The First 3 Steps in Acquiring Medicare Supplement Insurance Coverage in Florida
Finding Health Insurance in Miami, Florida - 3 Important Steps
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