Here is how you can try out a Medicare Advantage plan using what are called Trial Rights.
There are two main trial right that you can use to try out a Medicare Advantage plan and you can still go back and get a Medicare Supplement Plan in the future with no medical underwriting questions.
The first scenario would be if somebody is just turning 65 and they start their Part A of Medicare, Part B of Medicare and their Medicare Advantage plan all on the same month which would be the first day of their 65th birthday month
For example if somebody’s birthday is October 2nd, they would need their Part A, Part B and their Medicare Advantage all to start October 1st.
From October 1st they will have 12 months to try out their Medicare Advantage plan and anytime in that first 12 months they can go back on to Original Medicare and purchase Supplemental insurance.
https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/staticpages/learn/rights-and-protections.aspx
Original Medicare and Supplemental insurance gives people a lot more freedom of choice because it’s nationwide access to doctors with no referrals needed and no network restrictions. As long as the doctor, specialist or hospital is contracted with Medicare, that person can go.
The second type of trial right is if somebody starts with a Medicare Supplement Plan, during the Open Enrollment (Oct 15th – Dec 7th) they can then enroll into Medicare Advantage plan and within the first 12 months of being on that Medicare Advantage plan they can go back and get the Medicare supplement policy they had with their old insurance carrier
For example let’s say somebody has a Plan F Medicare Supplement with ABC Insurance Company.
During the Open Enrollment they decide to enroll into a Medicare Advantage plan.
At any point in the first 12 months of having that Medicare Advantage plan that person can then go back to their Plan F Medicare Supplement policy with ABC Insurance Company.
That would be the second trial right option.
https://www.medicare.gov/find-a-plan/staticpages/learn/rights-and-protections.aspx
For somebody who is coming off employer insurance and they’re not sure if they want a Medicare Supplement Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan, a lot of times what I suggest is that they start with a Medicare Supplement so that way they can build themselves a trial right to try a Medicare Advantage plan and they will have a 12-month window to go back onto Original Medicare and add the Supplement policy.
If people who have work past 65 coming and are coming off employer Insurance go directly to a Medicare Advantage plan they cannot build themselves in that trial right.
Those there are the two trial rights that you can use to try out a Medicare Advantage plan.
If you would like more information on Medicare, request a copy of The Nuts & Bolts of Medicare book here and we will mail it out to you.
Thank you for reading and please leave any comments or questions down below!
