Medicare coverage while travelling
This post contains a lesson and a question: We are just retired and will be spending 4-6 months on the road starting March of '17. We are just now eligible for Medicare and have decided to buy a M...
Forum Discussion
Just to keep Medicare terminology correct, a Medicare Advantage Plan is NOT a supplement to basic Medicare. It is a substitute (private) for Original Medicare (public) which is also known as Parts A&B. Supplements to Original Medicare are often called Medigap policies. Not aware of anything called 'basic medicare' though Original Medicare probably comes closest.
In our nearly 15yrs of active travel full timing, with 22 major surgeries in 16 different states and hospitalization in over 30 states, we found nothing came close to the universal acceptance of Original Medicare and using a Plan C Medigap, there were no copays or deductibles for us.
The private so called Medicare Advantage, as you've discovered, can be written anyway the private insurer wants excluding whatever they want. IMO, unless you are an expert in reading the fine print of insurance coverage and have the legal skills to advocate for yourself in the event of a dispute, the MA coverage is a risk to the traveler.
In our nearly 15yrs of active travel full timing, with 22 major surgeries in 16 different states and hospitalization in over 30 states, we found nothing came close to the universal acceptance of Original Medicare and using a Plan C Medigap, there were no copays or deductibles for us.
The private so called Medicare Advantage, as you've discovered, can be written anyway the private insurer wants excluding whatever they want. IMO, unless you are an expert in reading the fine print of insurance coverage and have the legal skills to advocate for yourself in the event of a dispute, the MA coverage is a risk to the traveler.
