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Question: We are retired with $4.6 million and are comfortable, but health care is still complicated and expensive. My wife signed us up for a Medicare Advantage plan. I know the $0 premium and the dental perks were the big draw. But looking at our plans for the rest of the year — especially our travel — I’m getting a bit nervous.
If we’re on a trip and I need to see a specialist, we’d likely have to pay out-of-network rates, which are huge. I have recently learned that original Medicare with a Medigap plan is essentially “borderless.” We could go to any doctor in the country who takes Medicare, with no networks or referrals to worry about. I think we should switch back to original Medicare, if that’s even possible, but my wife worries we will fall into the “Medigap Trap.” Who is right?
Answer: Choosing a Medicare plan is often a team sport, but sometimes the “team” picks a strategy that doesn’t ultimately work. If you reluctantly followed your spouse into a Medicare Advantage plan because of the dental or vision perks, only to find that your favorite doctors are now “out of bounds,” you are likely experiencing a case of Medicare Advantage regret. There are specific federal protections designed for new enrollees to help you “undo” a plan choice that isn’t a fit for your lifestyle.
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Since this is the first time you have ever joined a Medicare Advantage plan, you are protected by a federal “Trial Right.” The Medicare Advantage (MA) trial right is essentially a “get out of jail free” card. It allows you to test-drive an MA plan for up to 12 months and still return to original Medicare with guaranteed issue rights for Medigap, regardless of your health status.
Without these rights, if you try to buy a Medigap policy later, insurance companies can use “medical underwriting” to charge you more or deny you coverage entirely based on pre-existing conditions. That is what is meant by the “medigap trap.”
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Trial rights: The “New to Medicare” reset
The opportunity for a reset applies to people who choose Medicare Advantage the very first moment they become eligible for Medicare. The federal government offers new beneficiaries a “do-over” window. If you decide the plan isn’t for you within the first year, you have a legal trial right to switch to original Medicare.
In your case, if traveling is a priority, original Medicare can offer greater flexibility. Why? Because when you have a Medicare Advantage plan, you have to pay steep out-of-network fees to see a specialist or fill a prescription, once you leave the geographic area of your network.
The most critical part of this right is the “Guaranteed Issue Rights“. Normally, if you try to buy a Medigap or supplemental plan after being in an MA plan, companies can look at your medical history and deny you coverage or charge you more due to preexisting conditions. However, under the trial right, they must sell you a policy at the best available rate, regardless of your health.
I recommend not canceling your MA plan until you have a Medigap policy lined up. After all, if you have the trial right, you are guaranteed to get one.
- Who is Eligible: You joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you first became eligible for Medicare (your initial enrollment period), Part A at age 65.
- The Right: If you decide the plan isn’t for you within the first 12 months, you can switch to original Medicare.
- The Amount/Benefit: You have a guaranteed issue right to buy any Medigap policy sold in your state by any insurance company. You are treated as if you were back in your initial enrollment period — no health questions asked.
Key rules to remember when exercising your trial rights
- The 12-month clock: Your trial rights expire exactly 12 months after your Medicare Advantage coverage began.
- The application window: You can apply for your Medigap policy as early as 60 days before your MA coverage ends, but no later than 63 days after it ends.
- Drug coverage: If you leave an MA plan that included drug coverage, you also get a Special Enrollment Period to join a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan. Even if your medication needs are modest, sign up for a plan to avoid late enrollment penalties later on when your needs change.
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The spousal Medicare reset conversation
Switching to original Medicare can feel like admitting a mistake, but it’s actually about aligning your coverage with your lifestyle. Remind your partner that while $0 premiums are nice, they aren’t a bargain if you can’t see the doctors you trust or travel with peace of mind.
Original Medicare, combined with certain Medigap plans, offers a level of freedom that “perk-heavy” plans simply can’t match:
- No networks: You can see any doctor in the U.S. who accepts Medicare (about 93% of doctors).
- No referrals: You don’t need a “gatekeeper” to see a specialist. (Except for a limited prior authorization trial currently running in six states on a limited slate of equipment/services.)
- Travel security: Your coverage is seamless across all 50 states, and certain Medigap plans offer emergency coverage for international travel.
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Original Medicare + Medigap: Why it’s the traveler’s choice
If you and your spouse love to travel, the combination of original Medicare and a Medigap plan (like Plan G) is generally the gold standard. Here is why:
No Networks: You can see any doctor in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. No referrals, no “in-network” stress.
Foreign Travel Emergency: Most popular Medigap plans (Plans C, D, F, G, M and N) provide 80% coverage for foreign travel emergency care (up to a $50,000 lifetime limit).
Predictable Costs: You pay a monthly premium, but your out-of-pocket costs at the doctor or hospital are near zero (depending on the plan).
|
Feature |
Medicare Advantage |
Original Medicare and Medigap |
|
Doctor choice |
Restricted to a regional network (HMO/PPO) |
Any doctor in the U.S. accepting Medicare |
|
Travel- domestic |
Emergencies only |
Seamless coverage across all 50 states |
|
Travel- international |
Some Medicare Advantage plans provide additional coverage for foreign travel. You’d need to do your research to find that type of plan. |
Medigap plans C, D, F, G, M and N provide 80% coverage for foreign travel emergency care up to a $50,000 lifetime limit. |
|
Referrals |
Usually required for specialists |
Never required |
|
Extra perks |
Dental, vision, gym |
Usually none |
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“Sit down with your spouse and look at the map … of where you actually want to spend your time this year.”
How to fix this together
Sit down with your spouse and look at the map — not the insurance network map, but the map of where you actually want to spend your time this year. If your current plan can’t get you there, it’s time to consider making the switch. Transitioning back might mean saying goodbye to the free toothbrush and the gym pass, but it means saying hello to 90% of doctors nationwide and the ability to travel fully insured without network restrictions.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE to see if your trial right is still active and tell them you want to exercise your trial right to return to original Medicare. Make the move now, and get back to enjoying your retirement on your own terms. If you want to talk this over with an expert, call your local SHIPS (State Health Insurance Assistance Programs) office for free, unbiased advice. You can find the phone number for your local SHIP in the directory, or call 1-877-839-2675 to be connected to an operator.
