Kaiser is offering a range of Medicare Advantage plans for the coming year that are going to interest some seniors. These are high coverage plans that do more than Original Medicare does and are often sold very competitively, at reasonable prices. We want to tell you a bit about the Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage 2020 plans and what they may be able to do to benefit you.

Medicare Advantage Plans Do a Lot for You

The coverage provided by Medicare Advantage is pretty powerful, no matter who you buy your plan through. Kaiser Permanente offers plans that have basic coverage, as well as those that go beyond the basic and provide you with some comprehensive coverage for medical expenses.

With the basic plans, you are going to be covered for Medicare parts A and B, which make up Original Medicare. You will also be covered for all the emergency medical care that isn’t covered by that first bit of coverage. In addition, the basic Medicare Advantage plan will cover you for urgently needed treatments, which can include diagnostics, x-rays, medications, surgery and more.

Medicare Advantage plans often feature optional coverage that isn’t required to be part of these plans. Medicare has created the Advantage plans and ensures that certain items of coverage are included, but beyond that, the insurers that sell the plans have some freedom as to what they would like to include in their plans. Kaiser has a whole lineup of these, and some of them add more coverage than just the basic requirements.

They may cover you for a prescription drug plan, called Medicare Part D. They may also cover the cost of routine checkups or durable prescription equipment, such as eyeglasses and hearing aids. Check out their full lineup to see if there is a plan that fits your needs well.

What You Get When You Sign Up with Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser sells a few different kinds of Medicare Advantage plans, including Advantage Plus. This adds coverage onto the basic plan, like we talked about above. There are also Special Needs Plans that have lower rates than the average plan and that are designed to cater to individuals with disabilities and other special needs.

Kaiser offers all of its plans across its national network. This network is comprised of various clinics, rehab centers, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, hospitals and other healthcare facilities that Kaiser has agreements with. If you go to any of these network facilities with a Kaiser plan, then your coverage will be honored in full.

Kaiser offers both HMO and PPO options for its Advantage plans. These determine in what way you will be covered depending on whether you are on or off the network getting your healthcare. HMOs will give you full coverage on the network, but if you go outside of the network for healthcare with an HMO, you get no coverage whatsoever.

The PPO option will give you coverage in full on the network too, but it goes beyond that and covers you partially outside the network. That additional coverage area means that you will be covered in more places, but it also means that you need to pay a higher price for the plan than you would for an HMO.

If you are having trouble figuring out which of these options to choose when you sign up for Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage 2020, then you can always consult with us. We will be happy to provide you with answers and ensure that you know what you are signing up for before you commit yourself.

Kaiser also gives you some member benefits that are free to you simply for signing up with them. They will ensure you stay connected to medical professionals at all hours, giving you access to professional medical counselling over the phone, from the comfort of your own home. They also offer competitive pricing, a nice selection of plans and some great customer service. They may have some perks that are offered where you live, but you should check with them as to what their perks are, since those can change from one area of the country to another.

Advantage Plans May Conflict with Other Healthcare Plans

Do you currently have a medical insurance plan? If so, then you need to be aware as to whether it will conflict with Medicare Advantage or not. You may not be able to get coverage from your Advantage plan if you have another healthcare plan currently.

Advantage plans will not conflict with every kind of medical insurance plan, but they do conflict with a number of them. The primary reason they would conflict is because of overlapping coverage. So, if you have any Medicare Supplement (or Medigap), or you have a healthcare plan from your union, trust fund or employer, there is a good chance that those are going to overlap and conflict with any Medicare Advantage plan.

Advantage policies often have Medicare Part D included in their coverage, but you can also buy Part D on its own. This means that you need to be careful about signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan with Part D included, if you already have Part D coverage. You cannot be paying for this coverage twice at the same time, so you will need to choose between one or the other.

If you have some questions about whether you can sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan with the kind of coverage you have now, then please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are more than happy to help you.

Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage 2020 is designed to give you some powerful coverage. If you are an eligible senior, then you should consider signing up during Open Enrollment later on this year, beginning on October 15^th. This signup period ends on December 7^th, so you only have a limited time to get the plan you want.