Common Questions
Does a Medicare Advantage Plan Replace Original Medicare?
- January 12, 2024
- Reviewed by John Krahnert
Does Medicare Advantage replace Medicare?
The answer is that in a sense, yes, Medicare Advantage does replace Original Medicare. But there’s much more to understanding the relationship between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.
This guide will help you learn more about Medicare Advantage plans so that you can better decide which type of Medicare coverage is right for your needs.
With Medicare Advantage, you still receive Original Medicare benefits
When you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan, you do not get rid of your Medicare Part A and Part B (Original Medicare) benefits. Medicare Part A covers hospital insurance, and Part B covers medical insurance.
By law, Medicare Advantage plans (which are sold by private insurance companies) are required to provide the same benefits as Original Medicare.
When enrolled in Medicare Advantage, you will receive your Part A and Part B benefits through your Medicare Advantage plan except for hospice care, which you will continue to receive through Part A.
In this sense, Medicare Advantage does “replace” Original Medicare, because almost all of your Original Medicare benefits will be obtained through your Medicare Advantage plan. You will use your Medicare Advantage Plan card to get your Medicare services covered.
With Medicare Advantage, you pay your Original Medicare premiums
If you are required to pay a premium for Medicare Part A (up to $505 per month in 2024), you must continue to pay your premiums while enrolled in Medicare Advantage. Most people do not have to pay a premium for Part A.
You must also continue to pay your Part B premiums ($174.70 per month in 2024).
What benefits do Medicare Advantage plans offer?
Many Medicare Advantage plans include benefits not found in Original Medicare.
To sum it all up: With a Medicare Advantage plan, your Original Medicare coverage remains intact but you receive your Original Medicare benefits from your Medicare Advantage plan (except hospice care).
For more questions about how Medicare Advantage works or to explore plan options in your area, call to speak with a licensed insurance agent today.
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About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
