PSA - If you enroll in Medicare Advantage, you could be stuck for life

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53. If you do get accepted for a Medigap policy after first being on Medicare Advantage

Your costs are much, much higher than those who chose Medicare/Medigap in the beginning. It's almost as bad as Cobra pricing.

Yes... choose Medicare Advantage, and you ARE stuck for life. This is so unfair, IMNSHO. And it's one of my hot buttons. They should not be able to call this "Medicare Part C" coverage, for example. This infers that it's part of Medicare, which it is not.

Another difference is... if your specialist wants you in for an MRI or CT Scan, Medicare will pay for it with no prior arrangements. Medicare Advantage will give you the runaround, just as you get now on your insurance plan. IOW, I have a horrible back. Rheumatologist wants to give an MRI to see where the problem, exactly, is in the back. However, Medicare Advantage won't allow it until you've done a year of physical therapy. Sound familiar? Basically, Medicare Advantage is your current low-rent ppo or hmo insurance.

And pay special attention to your drugs under Medicare Advantage. Several have "must have approval" before MA will allow you to have them. Also, I've found SingleCare and GoodRX to beat the prices, even with drug coverage under MA.

The at I got tricked into getting the MA isn't my main point, although DO watch out for unscrupulous brokers. I flat out told mine I did NOT want to enroll at this moment. I had several more companies, as well as Medicare paths, to check out first.

When I went the next day to get my meds at CVS, everything had been switched over to Aetna Medicare Advantage, ditto on my primary care. THAT'S how I found out I was now enrolled in Medicare Advantage - Aetna, despite telling the broker I did NOT want to this. That's when I discovered all the "dings" you get in Medicare/Medigap if you go with MA first. Despite not even having been on it a full day, I was still subject to the rule.

If you have nothing wrong with you and are looking for insurance that will include drug costs, MA might be okay. But most seniors I know are being treated for several issues - and at least one issue that causes you to see a specialist. This is when MA will let you down, just like the ppo and hmo insurance in the corporate world when you're in your "prime."