Medicare has made it fairly simple to sign up for Medicare Advantage plans. You can’t get them through Medicare directly, though. Medicare Advantage plans are offered through private insurance companies.
Using our website you can shop for many insurance companies and plans at once with the click of a button!
You may already know of some of these companies or have insurance through them already. They include insurers like AARP, Mutual of Omaha, Aetna, and others. These sell the plans that Medicare has already detailed and set up.
The insurance companies can choose the price of the plans, and they can choose some aspects of coverage. But the base coverage is always decided by Medicare.
We’ll look at the coverage in just a moment, but first, let’s look at how you can enroll in one of these plans.
Going through private insurance companies means that there are no set monthly premiums for a Medicare Advantage plan.
You could get roughly the same coverage for wildly different prices if you are looking at two different insurance companies and their Medicare Advantage plans.
This is why you will want to compare prices and coverage on each plan. Source as many quotes as you can and see who has the best price for your needs. At the same time, look at what is being covered and how it compares to what you need.
Once you sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan, you can change to a different plan annually during the Annual Election Period, October 15th through December 7th.
If you are 65 and a US citizen, then you are likely eligible for a Medicare Advantage plan. If you are not sure if you meet the eligibility requirements, you can always talk to one of our licensed insurance agents or Medicare directly about what it takes to qualify.
Medicare Advantage Plan Enrollment
The best time to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan is three months prior to turning age 65, up to three months after your 65th birthday. This is because you are most likely in what is called your “initial enrollment period”.
If you decide to wait to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan, and perhaps enroll in a Medigap plan instead, then you may not switch back to a Medicare Advantage plan until the Medicare Annual Election period each year. This period is October 15th – December 7th.
During this time period, you may switch over to a Medicare Advantage plan, and your coverage will begin on January 1st of the following year.