With regular Medicare you can go to any doctor or hospital that accepts regular Medicare as almost all do.  With a Medicare Advantage plan, you have to receive care from the limited list of doctors and hospitals who have agreed to participate in the Medicare Advantage plan’s network.

Regular Medicare almost never requires a referral to see a specialist.  Medicare Advantage plans often require a referral to see a specialist.  The primary reason for this is requiring a referral reduced overall health care cost to the insurance carrier because it reduces the number of specialist visits.

Regular Medicare fully covers you in all 50 states so you have access to the health care you need when you are traveling anywhere in the U.S.  Medicare Advantage plans usually only provide full care when you are in your home area and limit your care to emergency situations when you are traveling.

With Regular Medicare,  if you ever have a serious health issue, you can investigate what doctor or hospital anywhere in the country has the most experience and expertise in your specific condition and receive care from that doctor or hospital.  This option gives you the best chance for the best health outcome.  With Medicare Advantage, you are usually limited to doctors and hospitals in the insurance plan’s network in your home area regardless of their doctor’s or hospital’s experience or expertise in your specific condition.

With regular Medicare you can enroll in a Medicare Supplement when you first go on Medicare that will pay all or almost all of the medical costs Medicare does not pay.  This eliminates unexpected medical costs you would have to pay as the result of having health issues.  With Medicare Advantage, you pay individually for every medical service you receive which can mean that, in addition to dealing with a sickness you may have to deal with thousands of dollars in unplanned medical costs.

With regular Medicare you can select a Medicare Part D drug plan out of around 25 which are usually offered in your state.  This flexibility allows you to choose the plan that provides your medications at the lowest overall cost at the pharmacy you prefer.  With a Medicare Advantage plan, there is one drug plan and you pay whatever the cost the single drug plan requires for your medications with a limited choice of pharmacies.

Doctors very rarely, in fact almost never, decide to stop accepting regular Medicare.  With a Medicare Advantage plan, doctors often choose to leave the plan’s network requiring their patients to choose a new doctor.

If you choose to stay with regular Medicare with a Medicare Supplement when you first go on Medicare, you can change your mind later and switch to a Medicare Advantage plan.  However, if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan instead of regular Medicare with a Medicare Supplement, you may not be able to switch to the other later if you have health issue at the time or in the past.