Medicare plans
Almost every Medicare question comes down to one fork in the road — and then a handful of follow-ups. Here is the map.
Once you have Original Medicare — Part A and Part B — you choose one of two structures. You cannot have both, and switching later is possible but not always easy. Everything else is detail hanging off this choice.
Path A
One plan that delivers your Part A and Part B benefits, usually with drug coverage built in. Lower monthly cost, a network to work within, copays as you go, and a cap on your annual out-of-pocket.
Path B
Keep Original Medicare, add a Medigap policy to cover what it leaves behind, and add a standalone drug plan. Higher monthly premium, far fewer surprises, and no network at all.
Long-term care sits outside both. Neither path covers extended custodial care, which is why it is a separate conversation rather than a plan feature — here is why that matters.
In detail
Each page covers what it is, who it tends to fit, and the questions people ask before they commit.
All-in-one plans that bundle Part A, Part B and usually Part D.
Read moreFills the gaps in Original Medicare. Any doctor that takes Medicare.
Read morePrescription drug plans, priced against your actual medication list.
Read moreCoverage for the care Medicare was never designed to pay for.
Read moreSide by side
The comparison people ask for most. Both are legitimate choices — the right one depends entirely on your doctors, your travel and your tolerance for variable costs.
| Factor | Medicare Advantage | Supplement + Part D |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly premium | Often $0 plan premium (Part B still applies) | Supplement premium plus a Part D premium |
| Choice of doctor | Plan network; referrals on many HMOs | Anyone who accepts Medicare, nationwide |
| Cost when you use care | Copays and coinsurance per visit | Little to nothing beyond the Part B deductible |
| Annual out-of-pocket cap | Yes — set by the plan each year | No cap needed; the supplement absorbs it |
| Prescription coverage | Usually built in | Bought separately as a Part D plan |
| Extra benefits | Dental, vision, hearing, fitness are common | Not included; bought separately if wanted |
| Health questions to enroll | No — you cannot be turned down | Not during your open enrollment window; often yes after |
Figures and benefits vary by plan and change every plan year. This table is a structural comparison, not a quote — estimate your own year here.
Free tools
Nothing here asks for your email.
Six questions about your doctors, your travel and your budget. Tells you which side of the Medicare fork actually fits — and why.
Find my plan typeEnter your birthday and get your exact Initial Enrollment Period dates, your Medigap open enrollment window, and the deadlines that carry lifetime penalties.
Check my datesCompare what a year on a Medicare Advantage plan versus a Supplement plus Part D would realistically cost you — premiums, deductibles and expected visits included.
Estimate my yearHigher income means a surcharge on Part B and Part D. See which bracket your tax return puts you in before the letter arrives.
Check my bracketPlan N costs less each month but adds copays and leaves excess charges to you. Find the number of visits where the two swap places.
Find my breakevenSome Advantage plans pay back part of your Part B premium. See what a giveback is actually worth — and what it does not touch.
Estimate my givebackMost people get Part A free on 40 work quarters. Fewer than that and there are two tiers — find out which one applies to you.
Check my quartersIn-home help, assisted living or skilled nursing — what each realistically costs per year in Arizona, and what Medicare pays toward it.
Estimate care costsQuestions
Effectively yes, and it is the fork this whole page is about. A Medicare Supplement pairs with Original Medicare and pays much of what Medicare leaves; a Medicare Advantage plan replaces how you receive Medicare and delivers it through a network instead. You cannot usefully hold both — a Supplement pays nothing toward an Advantage plan's costs. Part D sits with the Supplement side as a separate drug plan and is usually built into an Advantage plan.
Neither, and anyone who answers that question without asking about you is selling something. The honest version is a set of trade-offs: a Supplement costs more every month and asks almost nothing of you at the point of care, travels anywhere in the country that accepts Medicare, and has no network to check. An Advantage plan usually costs far less monthly, often bundles drug coverage and extras, and in exchange asks you to stay inside a network and accept a yearly out-of-pocket maximum rather than near-complete coverage. Which trade you want depends on your doctors, your prescriptions, your travel and your tolerance for an unpredictable year.
Moving from a Supplement to an Advantage plan is generally straightforward during an enrollment period. Moving the other way is the one that catches people: outside specific windows, a Supplement carrier in Arizona can ask health questions and decline you. Arizona does not have the birthday rule some states do. That asymmetry is the single most important thing to understand before the first choice, because it means the two directions are not equally reversible.
Nothing, at any point. Carriers pay licensed agents a commission set by CMS and it is identical whether you enroll through me, through a call center or directly with the carrier. Your premium is the same either way. The only difference is whether somebody checked your doctors and your prescriptions against the plan first.
Official Medicare pages for the rules above. Last reviewed August 18, 2026 — benefits, networks and formularies reset every plan year.
Next step
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