{"id":10966,"date":"2020-09-23T10:29:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T15:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=10966"},"modified":"2022-04-13T11:48:15","modified_gmt":"2022-04-13T16:48:15","slug":"understanding-the-type-of-medicare-coverage-you-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/understanding-the-type-of-medicare-coverage-you-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the type of Medicare coverage you need"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open enrollment for Medicare is October 15 through December 7. This is the period \u2014 if you\u2019re eligible for Medicare \u2014 when you can make new selections to your plan that will apply for the following calendar year. Now is the best time to ask yourself if you know the difference between Original Medicare, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage. This will help ensure you get the coverage you really need.<\/p>\n

Original Medicare provides hospital and medical insurance, but doesn\u2019t cover all expenses. Medicare Supplement plans are in addition to Original Medicare. Sold by private insurance companies, they help pay for costs after <\/em>Original Medicare pays its share. The extra cost of a Supplement plan to bridge these gaps, however, can result in overspending for coverage you don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n

A Medicare Advantage plan offers similar benefits to Original Medicare \u2014 and more \u2014 often at a lower price. These plans pay for costs in place of Original Medicare. Also sold by private insurance companies, they typically include Part A Medicare (hospital), Part B (medical) and Part D (pharmacy) coverage \u2014 an aspect not covered by a Supplement plan. In addition, extras like fitness benefits, vision and dental are often included in an Advantage plan.<\/p>\n

Key differences between Advantage and Supplement plans<\/h2>\n