Help, I’m stuck in a Medicare Supplement that is too expensive!

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Hello Toni:

My question is: I understand that I am not able to change to a Medicare Advantage plan and have to wait until the enrollment time in the fall. I have a Medicare Supplement Plan F that renewed in March for $422 a month and am searching on medicare.gov for a Medicare Advantage plan that covers my doctors.  My friends tell me is that a Medicare Advantage would be less costly than the Medicare Supplement that I am enrolled in.

I am a 76-year-old female, in fairly good health. I’m concerned that if I change to a Medicare Advantage plan in the fall and find out next year that the plan was not  a good choice for me that I won’t be able to return to a Medicare supplement.  

Looking forward to what you have to say. Thanks, Toni.

Sandra 

Hi, Sandra:

April is not the right time to be searching for a Medicare Advantage Plan that you can enroll in during Medicare’s Open Enrollment Period (OEP) . The new Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug plans (MAPD) are released for the public to begin viewing on Medicare.gov on October 1 every year, with enrollment starting October 15 and ending at midnight on December 7.  The new MAPD plan will begin January 1, 2027. Sandra, MAPD plans will be different for 2027 from what you have looked at recently on the Medicare.gov website.

But I have good news for you concerning leaving your Medicare Supplement. You will have a specific amount of time, which is a single 12-month period (your trial right period), to be able to reenroll back into your current Medicare Supplement Plan F and disenroll from the MAPD plan you’ve chosen if you are dissatisfied.

Since you are concerned about your $422 monthly Medicare Supplement Plan F, I would suggest that you consider changing your Medicare Supplement now, before Medicare’s OEP, to a less expensive supplement plan. Supplement Plans G or N have lower premiums but higher out-of-pocket costs than your current Plan F, which has a zero out-of-pocket cost.

Sandra, you will have to answer medical underwriting questions to qualify for the specific supplement plan that you pick. Then you will know if changing to a MAPD plan is the right option for you. Last week, I had a Toni Says client contact me because his Medicare Supplement Plan F had also increased by $60 to over $450 and he is having to answer health questions to qualify for a new Medicare Supplement Plan G which will save him over $220 a month on his premium.

Here are the differences between Medicare Supplement Plan G and Plan N below:

• Plan G offers lower premiums and the same Medicare benefits as Plan F except the Medicare Part B deductible is not covered and will be paid for by the enrolled Medicare beneficiary. The Part B deductible for 2026 is $283, which is Plan G’s out of pocket.
• Plan N generally has a lower premium than Plan G with higher out-of-pocket costs. There is a $20 co-pay for a doctor’s visit and a $50 co-pay for the emergency room. The Part B deductible is also not covered, and the Part B “excess charges” are not paid for by the insurance company (which Plan G covers).

Sandra, you asked about your specific doctors or hospitals accepting Medicare Advantage plans. Most of the hospitals are included in many of the Medicare Advantage networks where you live. Primary care physicians or specialists are a different story because they accept MAPD plans differently. I always advise my Toni Says Medicare clients during a consultation and those who attend my “Confused about Medicare” webinars to call all of their doctors to see what plans the healthcare professional/facility currently accepts. The reason I say, “currently accepts” is that doctors/hospitals can stop accepting a specific plan any time of the year. **Readers, please be aware of this situation.** Because with Medicare, what you don’t know WILL hurt you!

For a Medicare checkup, call the Toni Says Medicare hotline at 832-519-8664 or email [email protected]. Sign up for the Toni Says newsletter at www.tonisays.com to download Toni’s new Medicare 2026 First Steps Guide. Call Toni anytime at 832-519-8664.

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