Why might Original Medicare with a Part D plan be better than a Medicare Advantage plan for frequent travelers?
Answered by 19 licensed agents
Original Medicare combined with a Part D prescription drug plan offers flexibility, nationwide access, and consistent coverage, making it an excellent choice for frequent travelers. Unlike Medicare Advantage plans, which are often geographically limited and depend on specific provider networks, Original Medicare with Part D ensures you can access care and prescriptions anywhere in the United States without restrictions.
It really isn't since original Medicare only pays 80%, the member is responsible for 20% of everything which can become costly. and you have to PAY for Part D every month & pay for your medication. A Medicare Advantage Plan includes drug coverage with Tiers 1 & 2 usually $0 costs , depending g on the plan
Medicare covers up to $50,000 lifetime. You pay for medical care abroad, and when you return, submit the claim to Medicare reimbursement for approved Medical services. For Medicare Advantage plans, coverage for emergency care is still up to a $50,000 Lifetime limit.
This is not necessarily true. It depends on your unique situation. If you spend partial time at two different residences, it depends where those places are located. In this case, a Medicare supplement might be better. In some cases with advantage, you can have doctors in both places. When it comes to international travel there is limited coverage for emergencies worldwide with a Medicare supplement. With Medicare advantage you have worldwide emergency care.
Medicare Supplements contain the perk that you will have $50,000.00 lifetime covering out of country trips as long as the health issue has occurred within the first 60 days of your travel. You will need possible travel insurance for a helicopter evacuation as this is not a part of any Medigap plan. An Advantage plan does not include this same benefit, sorry.
Original Medicare with a Part D (Prescription Drug Plan) may be preferable because it offers nationwide access to any Medicare-participating provider, whereas Medicare Advantage plans are typically limited to a specific geographic service area.
Some Medicare Advantage plans may offer state-to-state coverage, while others limit their coverage to a specific defined area.
Well when you say original Medicare with a part D plan you are leaving out the most important factor which is also having a Medicare Supplement or Mefigap plan. If you have original Medicare paired with a Medicare Supplement, then you do not have to worry about Network and finding doctors that will accept the plan.
Because you never have to worry about ANY network restrictions. You can use Medicare in all 50 states and US territories. So if you're a frequest traveler or have residences in multiple states, having straight Medicare and a supplement(Medi-Gap)makes getting care much easier.
Most drug plans have very large national retailers in their network. So getting prescriptions in other states is easy with a stand alone Part D drug plan or through a Medicare Advantage plan.
You might want to have a Medicare Supplement Plan along with a Stand Alone Part D plan so you don't have any limitations. Meaning you can go anywhere see any doctors as long as they accept Medicare. You will have to pay a monthly premium for your Medicare Supplement Plan along with your Stand Alone Part D Drug Plan. Which I can go over that with you based on your age, gender, county, and state.
Medicare Advantage plans utilize networks to help keep costs down, while Original Medicare is taken by any provider that accepts Medicare. However, emergency room and urgent care visits are generally covered anywhere in the US on Medicare Advantage plans. Also, many large Medicare Advantage plans now have nationwide PPO networks, so that even for routine, non-emergent or non-urgent care, a member only needs to call his/her customer service number to find a local in-network provider when out of town.
Original Medicare with a Part D plan might be a better choice than a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan for frequent travelers for several key reasons: Nationwide coverage and Provider flexibility. If you travel often Original Medicare with Part D gives you the broadest, most flexible access to care across the US without having to worry about networks, service areas, or referral hoops.
Original Medicare can be used in all 50 states, as well as in the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The same isn’t true for Medicare Advantage plans. These plans have defined service areas and may not cover out-of-state care, with the exception of emergency and urgent care situations.
When you have Original Medicare you are exposing your risk to no out of pocket maximum with your responsibility for expenses that occur. My suggestion would be to ensure that you are reviewing Medicare Advantage plans that have a large network range if you are a frequent traveler. A Medicare Supplement may be the best option as the benefits of your Medicare Supplement are accepted by any doctor who accepts Medicare giving you the most flexibility.
If you are a frequent traveler, original medicare will travel with you to any state and can see any doctor that accepts original medicare. A medicare advantage plan is usually confined to a network of doctors in the area/zip code you reside in.
In general, one might say that . It’s because you don’t have to worry about networks . However that also applies on ppo advantage vs hmos . Talking with a good broker who offers multiple choices allows you to make the decision of which you may prefer.
With Original Medicare, you may go to any facility that accepts Medicare. With a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may be limited to facilities outside of your service area.
Many Medicare Advantage plans come at an additional cost to the consumer and many do not "travel" outside of a specified coverage area. No need for a frequent traveler to buy something that they can not use. The other side of this coin is that there are many MA plans that DO travel...worldwide and have $ZERO$ cost!
