The program wasnt all that complicated.
You went to the doctor armed with your Medicare card.
Your physician or hospital took care of you and billed Medicare.
Then you orthe supplemental (Medigap) planyou bought paid your out-of-pocket share.
Todays Medicare isnt your grandparents program.
The two options not only differ in how they operate but increasingly in what coverage and services they provide.
Making the decision requires looking down two roads that more and more are heading in different directions.
An MA plan is the one-stop-shopping alternative that bundles hospital, doctor and prescription drug coverage.
Most offer extra benefits not in original Medicare.
MAs promise of extra benefits and lower premiums has been effective.
In 2008, only 22 percent of beneficiaries were in Advantage plans.
Since then, enrollment in these managed care plans has more than doubled and continues to grow.
The future path
Medicare now finds itself at a crossroads.
Does the original need to be changed to remain competitive with MA?
Preserving and strengthening Medicare is one of AARPs key policy concerns.
That includes maintaining original Medicare.
CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure oversees all Medicare operations.
She says her priority is to strengthen both options.
Even experts who are most bullish on Medicare Advantage say they dont expect original Medicare to go away.
The main reason is choice.
Going out of web connection means facing a much higher copay for each visit.
In some cases, the care may not be covered at all.
As a result, I think original Medicare will never go away.
For Arizonan Patrick Witter, a wider choice of medical providers was why he chose original Medicare.
Ive been seeing my urologist for 14 years, says Witter, a survivor of bladder cancer.
Until they enroll, many Americans dont realize how costly and complicated Medicare can be.
That is especially true if you choose original Medicare.
Those charges take a heavy financial toll.
