Medicare Advantage plans can offer you different benefits, and they can cover you differently based on the kind of plan you choose. We talked about Medicare Advantage plans that can cover just the basics or include coverage for checkups and Medicare Part D. However, you won’t get all that coverage from your plan if you go outside of your insurer’s network for medical treatment. You will only get partial coverage off the network or no coverage at all.
Medicare Advantage plans are limited by the network on which they operate. This is why Florida healthcare insurance providers sell Advantage plans with some different network options. The basic plan they will sell is called an HMO. This gives you coverage just within the network. Each insurer has their own network, made up of any clinic, hospital and doctor’s office that has an agreement with them. HMO plans are pretty cheap, and that makes them very popular. So long as you live within your insurance company’s network, you should be able to get a low cost HMO plan and save a lot of money.
If you live outside then network or travel often and don’t know where you might end up, then you can probably benefit from a PPO plan. This kind of Advantage plan gives you coverage both on and off the network. It offers you full coverage inside the network and then partial overage for any care received outside the network. As you might imagine, it will cost you more than the HMO plan, but it can be very helpful for people who need off-network coverage of some kind.
Do you know how far your insurance company’s network extends? Before you enroll with any insurer, check to see if their network area covers you or not. You may be better off with an insurer who has network coverage where you live than one you would have to buy a PPO plan from in order to get any coverage.