Medigap or Medicare Advantage?

The story: Walt and Grace weigh the trade-off

Walt and Grace compare two ways to fill Medicare’s gaps on a balance scale: Medigap and Medicare Advantage.

1. Narrator: Walt and Grace are picking how to fill Medicare’s gaps. The ads all promise extras and low prices.
2. Grace: We spend winters near my sister in another state. I need my care to work in both places.
3. Narrator: Original Medicare with a Medigap plan works with any doctor who takes Medicare, anywhere in the country. It costs more each month, and less when you’re sick.
4. Walt: The Advantage plan has a low premium and some dental. And my doctors are in its network.
5. Narrator: Advantage plans use networks and approvals, with a yearly cap on costs. You pay less each month, and more when you’re sick.
6. Narrator: One more thing. The first Medigap window means an insurer must sell you a plan. Later, it may say no.
7. Narrator: Choose carefully the first time. A free SHIP counselor can help you compare.

What you’ll learn

1. Medigap: pay more now, less later

   Medigap is extra insurance that works with Original Medicare (Parts A and B). It pays much of what Medicare leaves, like deductibles and coinsurance. You can see any doctor who takes Medicare, anywhere in the country. Add a Part D plan for drugs.

2. Advantage: pay less now, more later

   Advantage plans (Part C) bundle hospital, doctor and usually drug coverage. Premiums are often low, and some plans add extras like dental. Most use networks and need approval for some care. Each plan has a yearly cap on what you pay for covered care.

3. The first window is special

   When you first have Part B and are 65 or older, a one-time Medigap window starts. In it, insurers must sell you a plan. Later, in most states, they can say no or charge more because of your health. A one-time trial right may let you switch back.

4. What decides the fit, and who helps

   Think about travel, where you live during the year, your doctors and your drugs. Brokers are paid by the plans they sell. SHIP counselors give free, unbiased help in every state.

Key words

Medigap

extra insurance for Original Medicare, with lettered plans

Also called: Medicare Supplement Insurance

network

the doctors and hospitals a plan approves

prior authorization

needing the plan’s OK first

guaranteed issue

they must sell you a plan

Common questions

I already picked a plan. Can I change it?

Each fall there is a yearly window to change plans. Moving from Advantage back to Medigap may depend on your state and your health, so a free SHIP counselor is a good first call.

Someone called offering a “free” Medicare plan review. Is that okay?

Be careful. Medicare won’t call you to sell a plan. Hang up and call your state’s SHIP program instead, which is free and sells nothing.

Remember this

Choose carefully the first time. Switching back later isn’t guaranteed.

Try it: Compare plans where you live

1. Open the Medicare Plan Finder at Medicare.gov and enter your ZIP code.
2. List your doctors and drugs, and check them in each plan.
3. Or book a free appointment with your state’s SHIP counselor.

The whole mission works with no account or app.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Medicare starts at

  65

  The age most people become eligible for Medicare

  As of February 8, 2026

  Source: Medicare.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Medigap open window, trial rights and state rules

  Source: Medicare.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Compare plans in your ZIP code (Plan Finder)

  Source: Medicare.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Free, unbiased Medicare counseling (SHIP)

  Source: SHIPhelp.org(opens in a new tab)