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Originally Posted by Carla B
The "availability of specialists" is what scares me the most about any Advantage plan and especially if doctors come and go from the plan. Whereas, with Medigap supplement plans, any physician who accepts Medicare is available to you, the patient.
What I don't understand is: what is the incentive to the provider, if any, for agreeing to participate in an Advantage plan, like The Villages Health is doing? I always thought a provider would have to accept a lesser fee in an Advantage plan than they do for traditional Medicare but I don't know.
In answer to an earlier question, I don't think it would be easy to go back to original Medicare from an Advantage plan. A call to AARP might clarify that. We joined AARP/UHC late and I think were penalized in the monthly premium for not joining within six months of being 65. We did have to answer six health questions satisfactorily before joining.
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I'd have to check with my billing manager, but I believe the advantage plans pay exactly the same as traditional medicare--subject to change in the future, I'm sure