Medicare Part C

Medicare Part C is the most comprehensive of all the Medicare plans, as it is the culmination of every other Medicare plan. We will see what Part C is on the surface, and then explore its enrollment and what is to be expected once you have the policy.

Interested in learning more?

What it is

Medicare Part C is most commonly referred to as Medicare Advantage. Part C is offered solely through private insurance companies, unlike the other Medicare Parts. The main selling point is that you get all of the benefits from the other Medicare Parts, with bonus features that the others don’t have. Dental care, hearing aids, vision treatments, and gym memberships are examples of what Medicare Advantage offers that the other plans don’t. This is more than just a selling point. This is a legal requirement.

The types of Part C policies include Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider Organization (PPO), Medicare Savings Accounts (MSA), and Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) plans.

Plans have different parameters for getting out-of-network treatment, choosing a primary care physician and getting referrals from that physician, and if the plan has a prescription drug plan built-in.

Medicare Part C offers considerable savings, but only within a network of providers. Your Part C plan isn’t going to give you the nationwide coverage you’d get with Medicare Parts A and B. Your coverage is only applicable in your surrounding area.

How to get it

Medicare Part C requires enrolling in Medicare Parts A and B first. Unlike Parts A and B, however, you aren’t automatically enrolled in this no matter who you are.

The first time you can join is during the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) which is a 7-month time window that includes the month you turn 65, and the three months before and the three months after it.

While January 1 to March 31 is known as the General Enrollment Period (GEP), it’s called the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period in this context. What you can do here depends on whether you’re getting Part B for the first time. If you are getting Part B for the first time, then you can switch from Original Medicare to Medicare Part C. If you already have Part B, then you cannot switch from Original to Part C – but you can switch from a Part C plan to another one, or you could go from Medicare Part C to Original Medicare.

The Open Enrollment Period, which lasts from October 15 to December 7, enables policyholders to join, switch, or drop a Medicare Part C plan.

Costs

Medicare Part C costs vary. There’s no standard amount to pay, or even how much you will pay for your treatments. Some plans offer higher deductibles for more drastic cost reductions, others make it to where your best deal will be with the network’s preferred list of healthcare providers. Some plans have $0 premiums, but the average monthly cost is around $21.

Part C also stands apart from the others because there are no late fees. The only late fees you could possibly incur are from Medicare Parts A and B, because you need them to begin with.

We give you the advantage

Medicare Part C may just be the right Medicare plan for you. It’s easy to understand why – Medicare Advantage helps seniors across the country with getting healthcare treatments under one plan at low costs. Medicare With Jake is one of Wichita, Kansas’s very own, and we will find a Medicare Advantage plan for you unlike any other.