A Medicare Advantage Plan is another way to get your Medicare Part A and Part B coverage. Medicare Advantage Plans are Medicare-approved plans offered by private companies and must follow rules set by Medicare. These plans, also called “Part C” or “MA Plans”, may or may not include Medicare or Medicare Advantage in their name.

Most Medicare Advantage Plans include Medicare drug coverage (Part D). In many cases, you’ll need to use health care providers who participate in the plan’s network.

Remember you must use the card from your Medicare Advantage Plan to get your Medicare-covered services. Keep your red, white and blue Medicare card in a safe place even though you don’t use this card with medical providers.

A provider can join or leave a Medicare Advantage Plan provider network any time during the year. Your plan can also change the providers in the network any time during the year. Even though the network of providers may change, the plan must still give you access to qualified doctors and specialists. Your plan will notify you if your provider (primary care or behavioral health provider) is leaving your plan, so you have time to choose a new one.

You can switch from your Medicare Advantage Plan to another Medicare Advantage Plan, or to Original Medicare with or without a stand-alone prescription drug plan (Part D), between January 1 and March 31. Remember, you can only use this enrollment period if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan. Changes made during this period take effect the first of the month following the month you enroll. For example, if you switch to a new Medicare Advantage Plan in February, your new coverage begins March 1. Unlike Fall Annual Enrollment Period, you can only make a single change between January 1 and March 31.

If you have questions about Medicare or would like assistance with changing to a different Medicare Advantage Plan, Senior Services can assist. Call 989-633-3748 to be connected with a Health Benefits Assistance Volunteer.