Medicare Advantage Plans

There is much confusion about the new Medicare Advantage plans that are being marketed throughout Penobscot, Hancock, Washington and Piscataquis counties.

A couple of tips related to these plans from our SHIP program include:

1) The Medicare Advantage plans or also known as Medicare Part C are legitimate insurance products. They offer the same benefits as Medicare Part A and B as well as some offer Part D benefits (outpatient prescription assistance) or additional benefits.

2) Medicare Advantage plans are not a Medicare supplemental product.

3) If you are interested in purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan, make sure to review the full benefits package information , not just the Summary of benefits. There may be costs associated with different benefits that are not readily visible.

4) Currently, in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Hancock, and Washington counties only Private Fee For Service or PFFS plans are being sold. There are no HMO or PPO plans being offered at this time. There are other types of Medicare Advantage products being offered in other parts of Maine.

5) The most important factor in the Medicare Advantage PFFS plans is that you want to check with all your medical providers including hospitals, labs and diagnostic facilities to see if they will take your PFFS plan.

Since they are new products in the Maine market, this is an important consideration. This needs to be checked every time before you receive services so that you know how much you will have to pay out of pocket and what is covered by your Medicare Advantage plan.

For more information about the Medicare Advantage plans, you can check out the information at www.medicare.gov or call us at EAA. Let us know your thoughts on this product-thanks, Val Sauda, Director of Community Services