An agent asks: For disabled individuals under the age of 65 who are receiving SSDI, would they be better off buying a Medigap policy or enrolling in an Advantage Plan?
A: Most Medicare Advantage plans require a copayment of 20 percent for outpatient services, as well as a flat fee per day while hospitalized. Therefore, if my client was disabled and potentially using a lot of outpatient services or projecting the need for hospitalization, a Medicare supplement policy would clearly be preferable.
Another issue is that, once on a Medicare Advantage plan, you have to qualify health-wise to be accepted on a Medicare supplement plan (unless the Medicare Advantage plan is discontinued). You can always move to the Medicare Advantage plan from a Medicare supplement plan, but the reverse is not always true.
Source: Larry Dean, health care specialist with Forrest T. Jones & Co.
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