Medicare Advantage is a huge scam created during Dubya’s term to turn Medicare into a profit source for insurance companies. It’s sold by sales reps that say they “don’t have any reason to push it over Medigap plans”, but the truth is the commissions paid are far higher for an Advantage plan than for a Medigap plan. Those commissions can continue for decades and mean hundreds of thousands of dollars more income for those sales reps.

Those sales reps also routinely tell people they can switch to a Medigap plan if they aren’t satisfied with an Advantage plan but neglect to mention that switching is only possible (for most people) for a few months after becoming eligible for Medicare. Once those months are up nearly everyone is stuck with an Advantage plan for the rest of their lives.

Advantage plans look good at first because if care is not needed, monthly costs can be much lower than for a Medigap plan, but nearly everyone needs more care as they age. When that care is needed costs of an Advantage plan can far exceed that of a Medigap plan. Once stuck with an Advantage plan, subscribers get to deal with companies that make extra profit off of denying care. Insurance companies consistently do that even if they’re breaking the law because the profits far exceed the penalties.

If you or are your parent are going to go on Medicare, be very careful before choosing an Advantage plan. Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting into before signing on the dotted line.