Medicare Advantage for Veterans

Many people with veteran benefits often make the mistake of thinking they can’t benefit from a Medicare Advantage plan. In reality, a Medicare Advantage plan can offer extra coverage and be very helpful. How Medicare Advantage works with your veteran’s benefits depends on what kind of veteran’s benefits you have. Let’s take a closer look.

Medicare Advantage and TRICARE for Life

TRICARE  is a health insurance benefit offered to both active and retired military personnel, as well as their spouses and dependents. Not every veteran is eligible for TRICARE. Once an eligible member turns 65 and enrolls in Original Medicare (Parts A and B), their coverage becomes TRICARE for Life or TFL. Original Medicare becomes the primary plan, and TFL becomes secondary. People with this coverage have no out-of-pocket costs for approved services. None!

While it would not be recommended to enroll in a Medigap plan, TFL members may choose to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan to get some extra benefits like routine dental, vision, and hearing coverage. Plus, if you have a Part B Giveback plan in your area, it could help offset some (or all) of the Part B premium costs.

The most important thing to understand in this situation is how your coordination of benefits changes. In this case, the Medicare Advantage plan becomes your primary insurance and TFL remains secondary. You should try to see providers who are contracted with your Medicare Advantage plan, and make sure they are willing to send your claims to both the Medicare Advantage plan and TFL. This is different than having Original Medicare with TFL since Original Medicare does not have provider networks.

Medicare Advantage and VA Healthcare

Medicare Advantage paired with VA Healthcare benefits is a bit simpler to understand. These two coverage sources do not coordinate benefits. You can use your VA Healthcare benefits at VA providers and your Medicare Advantage benefits at network providers.

Adding a Medicare Advantage plan to your VA Healthcare benefits gives you more flexibility to see the providers you need when you need them. Sometimes, it can be hard to get an appointment with your VA provider in a timely manner, and in those cases, you’ll know you have the safety of a Medicare Advantage plan in place.

In either of these cases, you should not enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug benefits. The drug coverage you have through TRICARE for Life or the VA Healthcare is sufficient (and often better) than what you’ll find in a Medicare Advantage plan.

Local Medicare Specialists Support Veterans

If you are a veteran wondering what your Medicare options are, call the Local Medicare Specialists today. We’ll help you understand your current coverage and how it would interact with the different parts of Medicare. If you decide to enroll, we’ll make sure you understand how to make the most of your benefits.