Medicare Open Enrollment Begins: The Pros of Advantage Plans

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It’s time once again for Medicare recipients to wade through their options and pick their plan for next year—or just sigh and hope their current one will still work well because there’s no way they’re venturing into that murky swamp of overwhelming details.

Yes, Medicare open enrollment began Monday. And if it feels daunting to you, you’re not alone. The U.S. News & World Report blog The Best Life reports:

“Not a lot of people are switching plans,” observes Mary Dale Walters, senior vice president for Allsup Medicare Advisor. Allsup provides fee-based Medicare coverage advice to consumers ….

The post has some good advice for how to start your plan research. Both Walters and Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, tell the blog that Medicare Advantage plans are worth looking into if you don’t already have one:

“The care coordination is often better and the prices are often much more stable,” Mendelson says. “People don’t have to worry as much about out-of-pocket costs. MA plans structure their premiums differently and you’re generally not paying a 20 percent co-pay on physician services.” Accepting restrictions on the choice of physicians may be unacceptable for some traditional Medicare users, he notes.

Whatever you choose, we hope this open enrollment season goes smoothly for you. It last until December 7.