10/28/2026
Medical providers and people who work around seniors are telling seniors to drop their Medicare Advantage plans and go back to Original Medicare. That to me is a big problem.
Every year during AEP, I see doctors, nurses, and other professionals on social media telling people to stay away from Medicare Advantage.
Some even call it "Medicare Disadvantage."
Their recommendation? Drop your plan and go back to Original Medicare.
But here's what they're NOT telling people.
Original Medicare Parts A and B alone leave beneficiaries responsible for deductibles and generally 20% coinsurance on Part B services, with no annual out-of-pocket maximum.
It doesn't include prescription drug coverage, dental, vision, or hearing benefits.
We all know that when you are on Medicare, you occur a lifetime penalty for not having prescription drug coverage. Also, that grows the longer you go without it.
That person could add a Medicare Supplement, but if someone wants to do so, they could be looking at hundreds of dollars in additional monthly premiums. Drug plans alone are up to $216 per month!
Not to mention, depending on their situation, they may have to qualify through medical underwriting.
None of that is ever mentioned as a caveat to consider.
This is what happens when you have untrained, unlicensed, and frankly ignorant parties giving advice on these things. Its why I don't give medical advice without any training, schooling, or licensing.
Think about this for a second.
A person on Medicare could follow advice they saw online, drop their Medicare Advantage plan, and find out afterward that they can't qualify for the Medicare Supplement they wanted.
Or maybe they think they won't have all these holes in the coverage by just having Original Medicare because "the nurse said to do it that way" and they end up with a lot of expensive surprises.
Now they're potentially facing significant out of pocket medical expenses, prescription drug costs, and they may have limited opportunities to change their coverage again.
That's not just bad advice. That can have serious financial consequences. It's irresponsible, dangerous, and these people need to be checked thoroughly.
I'm not saying Medicare Advantage is perfect or its for everyone. It isn't. I'm certainly not saying Original Medicare paired with a Medicare Supplement is a bad option. For many people, it's an excellent choice. For many, it is unaffordable.
But I've worked in this industry for over 32 years, and I can tell you that choosing Medicare coverage isn't nearly as simple as some of these social media posts make it sound.
Medical providers are experts in treating patients.
Medicare agents specialize in understanding insurance coverage. Both have important roles, but those roles aren't interchangeable.
Why should we ignore medical professionals giving incomplete insurance advice that could financially hurt the very people they're trying to help? Because that is not their profession.
If you're going to tell somebody to drop their Medicare Advantage plan, you better understand what you're telling them to give up.
And that is the crux of the issue.
Most don't.
