If you are 65 or older you are probably bombarded with information about Medicare Advantage Plans, both by direct mail and TV ads. Don’t be misled. Do your research if you want to know more about these plans and how they compare with traditional Medicare and our NYSHIP/United Healthcare secondary insurance. Most of these plans are designed for people who do not have employer health insurance in retirement. The official Medicare.gov website states:

Talk to your employer, union, or other benefits administrator about their rules before you join a Medicare Advantage Plan. In some cases, joining a Medicare Advantage Plan might cause you to lose employer or union coverage. If you lose coverage for yourself, you may also lose coverage for your spouse and dependents.

In other cases, you may still be able to use your employer or union coverage along with the Medicare Advantage plan you join. Remember, if you drop your employer or union coverage, you may not be able to get it back.