Medicare Advantage (Part C) Explained

What changes if I choose Medicare Advantage?

Medicare Advantage changes how you receive Parts A and B. It does not remove your Medicare enrollment or the ICHRA (CHOICE) requirements.

Quick answer

Medicare Advantage, also called Part C, is a Medicare-approved private plan that delivers your Part A and Part B benefits. You still have Medicare and still pay your Part B premium. Many Medicare Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage and additional benefits. For the benefitbay Medicare + ICHRA (CHOICE) path, you must first have Parts A and B active; then the eligible Medicare Advantage premium is connected to ICHRA (CHOICE).

What stays the same

You remain enrolled in Medicare. Part A and Part B are still your legal Medicare foundation. You do not use a Medicare Advantage plan to avoid Parts A and B, and you cannot activate ICHRA (CHOICE) for the Medicare transition without them.

You also continue to pay the Part B premium. This is important because a Medicare Advantage plan premium, if it has one, is separate from the Part B premium. The benefitbay Medicare Team will make sure the payment setup reflects the actual premiums tied to your chosen coverage.

What changes

Instead of using Original Medicare directly for Part A and Part B services, you receive those benefits through the private plan. The plan sets its network, service area, referrals, prior authorization rules, copays, benefits, and annual out-of-pocket maximum for covered Part A and Part B services.

Many plans include Part D prescription coverage. Some also include added benefits. Those extras can be valuable, but they should not drive the whole decision. Medical access, prescription coverage, total cost, and plan rules come first.

The questions that decide fit

A benefitbay licensed Medicare Advisor will help you answer:

• Are my primary doctors, specialists, hospitals, and facilities in the plan network?
• Are my prescriptions covered at a workable cost, and is my pharmacy preferred?
• How do the premium, deductible, copays, and out-of-pocket maximum fit my budget?
• How do I use health care when I travel or spend time outside the plan’s service area?
• Am I comfortable with network rules, referrals, and prior authorization requirements?

How ICHRA (CHOICE) works with this route

After you choose the plan, the benefitbay Medicare Team connects the eligible plan premium to your ICHRA (CHOICE) account through the approved payment setup. The goal is to have the payment method in place before coverage begins. Do not independently set up a personal payment method without confirming the benefitbay process.

The Medicare Supplement Insurance rule remains

Medicare Supplement Insurance does not work with Medicare Advantage. If you choose Medicare Advantage, you are choosing the all-in-one route rather than Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement Insurance policy and standalone Part D plan.