Can I later switch to Original Medicare if Medicare Advantage doesn't work out for me?

S

sam1954

New Member
I plan on retiring at 66 and will apply for Social Security benefits then. But the year before that, when I turn 65, I will need to apply for Medicare (Part A) -- though I understand that I can delay getting Part B (without a penalty) since I will be on my employer's health plan for another year. Correct?

So when I apply for Social Security the following year (when I turn 66), I will also need to apply for Medicare Part B. I shouldn't have to worry about my current insurance being "credible" insurance, but I'll check on that with my employer. After I sign up for Medicare Part B, I'm now thinking of applying for a Medicare Advantage Plan (C).

I was thinking of Original Medicare (Plan G or N), but I know I won't be doing any traveling anyway and have been using HMOs and PPOs my whole life.
I'm only 64 right now, so I'm just trying to get as much info as I can and not wait till the last minute. My question is, can I later switch to Original Medicare if Medicare Advantage doesn't work out for me?? And vice versa??
 

it depends on your state . in most states you can switch at open enrollment , however , after your first initial choice when you go on medicare , there could be medical under writing involved and rejection . we pay a lot more here in ny for that privilege . ny has no medical under writing or age based increases . but all our supplements run a lot more early on too
 
For our plan we can. As mentioned above, there is a three month window, Oct-Dec where we can simply go online to our provider, and opt-out back to Medicare, no penalties, no hassle.
 

For most people, there is a trial period to leave a Medicare Advantage plan of 12 months (must be 1st time in Medicare Advantage) and return to a supplement. After that you can opt out once a year but if you want a supplement you must be healthy enough to qualify.

So here's the rub. The monthly premium for MA can be as low as zero. People LOVE them and in general the do a great job. People are very happy and only want to change to Original Medicare and a supplement if they have an illness that requires more freedom of choice. And I don't mean a hip replacement. I'm talking about serious illness such as cancer. Personally I don't want my insurance company and/or an accountant in the medical group to make health choices for me. I live in Nevada but if I need to I want access to UCLA, Cedars, City of Hope, Stanford University, etc. As yourself what kind of coverage you'd like for your granddaughter.

The bottom line is unless you know how to game the system you may find yourself stuck. HMO plans really do contain costs and in many area have a low maximum out of pocket. PPO plans generally have an out of pocket of $6,700 in network. Out of network is even higher. But either way, you lose control of who you can see.

Make the choice for what might happen, not what you have now. It's you health (and possibly your life). How much is that worth?

Rick
 
nothing is ever a problem until its a problem has never been truer than with advantage plans . my co-worker used to brag how little he paid via his advantage plan . then his wife got breast cancer . not only did it happen towards the end of the year so he got hit with 2 out of pockets of 4500 each each but that was besides the out of pockets on his own plan for his own care . he spent more than he saved .
 
mathjak107 said:
nothing is ever a problem until its a problem has never been truer than with advantage plans . my co-worker used to brag how little he paid via his advantage plan . then his wife got breast cancer . not only did it happen towards the end of the year so he got hit with 2 out of pockets of 4500 each each but that was besides the out of pockets on his own plan . he spent more than he saved .
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Correct. I've enrolled hundreds if not thousands into MA plans. It become their choice. For people so broke they can't afford a supplement then I get it. But there are plenty of people that are penny wise and dollar (or health) foolish.

Rick
 
I am disabled and covered under my wifes insurance but have Plan A and B as secondary payer. When my wife retires i intend to use regular Medicare A and B with a supplement and a plan D for drug coverage.
 
GreenSky said:
Correct. I've enrolled hundreds if not thousands into MA plans. It become their choice. For people so broke they can't afford a supplement then I get it. But there are plenty of people that are penny wise and dollar (or health) foolish.

Rick
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the irony is that is these same people who can't afford medicare and a supplement that get hammered hard in the advantage plans when they bump the problem areas . it can cost more than 2x as much in out of pockets and premiums because they can be pay as you go on the real cheap plans
 
It's not always about what people can afford sometimes it's about what people choose to afford.

Some people choose to assume some risk/self-insure and others choose not to or are not in a position to have the choice.

People need to review all of the various options/facts and do what makes sense for them.
 
insurances and what and how we choose to insure are always going to be personal choices . but remember all insurance insures the things least likely to happen . but the idea is if it is us that is on the wrong side of the statistic since someone has to be , will it be financially hurtful to us
 

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