Your coverage options
Once you’ve signed up for Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance), you can choose which way you get your health coverage.
Choice 1: Do you want Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage?
There are 2 main ways to get your Medicare coverage – Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage .
Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage side-by-side.
Original Medicare |
Medicare Advantage (Part C) |
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Includes: Part A
Part B
You can add: Medicare drug coverage (Part D)
Supplemental coverage (to help pay your share of costs): Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) , coverage from a former employer or union, or Medicaid
|
Includes: Part A
Part B
Most plans include: Medicare drug coverage (Part D)
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Are there different types of plans available?
You may also have other coverage, like employer or union, military, or veterans’ benefits. Learn how Medicare works with other insurance.
Choice 2: If you picked Original Medicare, do you want to add more coverage?
Medicare drug coverage (Part D)
If you chose Original Medicare and want to add drug coverage, you can join a separate Medicare drug plan. Medicare drug coverage is optional. It’s available to everyone with Medicare.
Most Medicare Advantage Plans include Part D coverage. In most types of Medicare Advantage Plans, you can’t join a separate Medicare drug plan. Types of plans where you can join a separate Medicare drug plan
Plans cover a variety of brand-name and generic prescription drugs. Each plan has a list of covered drugs, called a “formulary,” that can vary in cost and specific drugs covered.
- Most plans have a monthly premium that you pay in addition to your Part B premium. You’ll also pay other costs when you get prescriptions.
- Plans divide the covered drugs on their formulary into groups called "tiers" based on cost. A drug in a lower tier will cost less than a drug in a higher tier.
Things to consider when choosing to add drug coverage
Find out how Medicare drug coverage works with other insurance.
Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap)
Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) is extra insurance you can buy from a private company that helps pay your share of costs in Original Medicare.
- You need both Part A and Part B to buy a Medigap policy.
- Some Medigap policies offer coverage when you travel outside the U.S.
- Generally, Medigap policies don’t cover long-term care (like care in a nursing home), vision, dental, hearing aids, private-duty nursing, or prescription drugs.
- If you’re under 65, you might not be able to buy a Medigap policy, or you may have to pay more.
Medigap policies are standardized, and in most states named by letters, like Plan G or Plan K. The benefits in each lettered plan are the same, no matter which insurance company sells it.
Price is the only difference between policies with the same letter sold by different companies.
Things to consider when buying a Medigap policy
Learn more about Medigap.
What do you want to do next?
Learn when & how to join plans
Learn time periods & what you can do
Compare plans & Medigap
Find options in your area
Compare benefits side-by-side
Compare Original Medicare & Medicare Advantage