Medicare Advantage
Also called Part C. One plan that covers your hospital and medical care, and often your prescriptions.
By calling this number, you will be connected with a licensed insurance agent. Calls are answered by Dora or her office.
How it works
A Medicare Advantage plan is offered by a private insurance company approved by Medicare. It replaces how you get your Part A and Part B benefits. You still pay your Part B premium, and you keep all your Medicare rights and protections.
Most plans work with a network of doctors and hospitals. HMO plans typically ask you to use in-network providers and choose a primary care doctor. PPO plans let you go out of network, usually at a higher cost.
Every Medicare Advantage plan has a yearly limit on what you pay out of pocket for covered medical services. Once you reach it, the plan pays for covered services for the rest of the year.
What Orange County residents should know
Many HMO plans in Orange County work through medical groups. The medical group you're assigned to can decide which specialists and hospitals you use, so it's worth checking before you enroll, not after.
Depending on the plan, extra benefits may be available, such as routine dental, vision, hearing, fitness programs, or over-the-counter allowances. Benefits, premiums, and networks vary by plan and can change each year.
What Dora checks with you before you choose
- Whether your doctors, specialists, and preferred hospital are in the plan's network and medical group
- How each of your prescriptions is covered, and at which pharmacies
- The monthly premium, the copays you're likely to see, and the yearly out-of-pocket limit
- Whether you travel or spend part of the year outside Orange County
- Which extra benefits the plan includes, and how they actually work
Review your plan before December 7.
Plans can change their networks, drug lists, and costs every January. A fall review with Dora takes about an hour.
By calling this number, you will be connected with a licensed insurance agent. Calls are answered by Dora or her office.