Medicare Advantage, in plain words

A Medicare Advantage plan is offered by a private company approved by Medicare. Instead of holding the pieces separately, your cover comes through the one plan.

These plans run on networks. That is why the doctor check matters more here than almost anywhere else — a plan that works beautifully for your neighbor can be the wrong plan for you purely because of who you see.

Many of these plans also fold in prescription cover. Whether that works out cheaper depends entirely on which medications you actually take, which is why the plan finder asks for them by name.