Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage:
How Do They Compare?
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Original Medicare
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VS
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Medicare Advantage
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Federal government
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Who Offers the Coverage
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Private insurance companies
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Original Medicare includes
Part A and Part B.
Part A:
- Inpatient care in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities
- Hospice care and some home health care
Part B:
- Doctor visits
- Outpatient hospital services
- Durable medical equipment
- Some preventive health care
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What It Covers
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Medicare Advantage
combines all of your coverage
into one plan and often
includes prescription drug
coverage.
Plans can also offer
additional benefits Original
Medicare doesn’t cover, like:
- Vision, hearing and dental care
- Gym memberships
- Disease management programs
- 24/7 access to health care professionals
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Part A is free for most people.
The standard monthly
premium for Medicare Part B
enrollees will be $144.60 for
2020, an increase of $9.10
from $135.50 in 2019.
Medicare also charges
deductibles, copays and
coinsurance.
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What It Costs
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Each Medicare Advantage
plan sets its own premium, in
addition to your Part B
premium.
Plans have predictable
copays and coinsurance.
|
No.
Generally speaking, Part B
covers about 80 percent of a
person’s health care costs,
leaving them to cover the
remaining 20 percent out of
pocket.
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Annual Cap on Out-of-Pocket
Expenses
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Yes.
Medicare Advantage plans
set an out-of-pocket max to
help you predict how much
you may have to pay for
health care services each
year. The limit depends on
the plan but can’t be more
than $6,700 in 2020.
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