Keep Your Medicare Insurance

This is Strategy #16 from Lamson & Cutner’s publication, “25 Strategies to Prevent Financial Ruin from Long-Term Health Care Costs.” Click here to see the other strategies.

Keep your Medicare insurance. In most instances, you'll have access to a wider range of doctors. Be careful about sales pitches for coverage under Medicare Advantage plans, which require you to see in-network providers. There are a lot of plans out there that sound great on the surface, but don't provide you with the same access to providers and benefits you get through traditional Medicare "A" and "B". Even if you're on Medicaid, you'll probably want to keep your traditional Medicare because you'll have a broader selection of doctors, and in many instances you’ll be paying for supplemental insurance with dollars that you would otherwise have to contribute to the cost of care.

That being said, for some individuals, a Medicare Advantage plan may be preferable because supplemental insurance will not be needed, and overall costs may be lower. However, these plans require you to stay "in network," which means that you may have to change doctors or other medical providers.

It's a good idea to review any proposed changes in your coverage with a knowledgeable insurance agent before switching.