3. Plans under Medicare Advantage and Supplement are the same

There are many Medicare myths, and this is another one of them. As we already said, there are many people who, at some point, find out that Original Medicare is not enough for their medical expenses. Is not covering enough of them. And this is why there are so many folks who prefer to enroll from the start in a Medicare Supplement plan or in the Medicare Advantage plan (Part C).

For example, a Medicare Advantage plan covers some additional benefits that the Original one does not. For example, the Advantage plan covers Medicare Part D (prescription drugs). Also, you can choose Medicare Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), which are basically private healthcare plans that the government pays for.

In an HMO, you have a primary care physician (PCP) who is part of the network, who manages your overall health, and who makes specialist referrals as needed.

Then you have the Medicare Supplement plan. This usually takes care of all the gaps that are present in the Original plan. The Supplement plan is more expensive than HMOs, but you can go to all the doctors that accept Medicare. Also, remember that it doesn’t cover prescription drug coverage. For this, you will need a separate plan.

So, this is another one of the Medicare myths you should be aware of. All of the plans are separate, and each has its own specific advantages and disadvantages.