What are you getting for free?
I have been receiving a lot of calls lately from Medicare beneficiaries. There have been commercials on TV or they have heard a radio ad. In the ad it states that you are entitled to free stuff when you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. Of course the choice is yours. Do you select a Medicare Advantage plan or stay with Original Medicare and a Medicare Supplement? I would ask you what is really free in this life we live?
Focus
Make sure that you are focusing on what really matters, your health. Access to care depends on what plan you pick with Medicare Advantage Plans. You have a network that you must stay within. If you get referred to a doctor that does not participate in your plan you will have to find someone else or decide to pay out of pocket for the procedure. This is a big deal. I have had conversations with folks that can get wrapped up in the free stuff and forget about the primary reason they enrolled into the plan. To protect them against large financial harm due to an illness or injury.
Know your options
You have to make a decision when it comes to your care. Do you choose low premiums, network, co-pays, deductible, max out of pocket, pre-authorizations and pre approvals? That would be your Medicare Advantage Plan. Or would you choose original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement policy and stand alone RX plan? No network, no copays, no prior authorization? Go see the doctor you want to see when you want to see him or her. Total network freedom. There is no one size fits all but when it comes to making a decision make sure you have the facts.
