Chaperone Health Insurance Plus
Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement in Broward County
Reviewed October 2026 · Covers the 2027 plan year
Choosing between Medicare Advantage and a Medicare Supplement is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make with Medicare, and it’s not always easy to change your mind later. Both paths start with Medicare Part A and Part B, but they work very differently when it comes to doctors, costs, prescriptions, and travel. I’m Roxroy Ashley, an independent licensed agent with HealthMarkets, based in Fort Lauderdale. I’ve spent 14 years in insurance and the last 8 focused on Medicare, and I walk every client through Medicare Advantage vs. Supplement options before we narrow anything down.
This guide explains how each path works, what it means for your care at Broward County hospitals, and what you’d gain and give up with each. There’s no single right answer, and I won’t push you toward one. The best fit depends on your doctors, your health, your budget, and how you like to get care. When you’re ready to apply it to your own situation, book a free plan review and I’ll get back to you personally within 24 to 48 hours.
I’LL EVEN CALL YOUR DOCTOR
Get a Free Quote From a Medicare Agent Who Compares Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage
Comparing Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage only matters for your own doctors and budget, so before I recommend anything, I check:
- Your doctors and hospitals against each plan’s network, including HCA Florida, Memorial, and Baptist Health
- Your prescriptions and pharmacy against each drug list
- Your full-year cost on each path, including the most you could pay in a bad year
If anything is unclear, I call your doctor’s office to confirm it. Your quote is free, with no obligation to enroll. Get your free quote and I’ll do the research for you.
Hear how I help you choose a plan with confidence.
MORE THAN A FREE QUOTE
Why Choose Me to Compare Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement
When you’re choosing between the two Medicare paths, here’s what to look for in an agent, and what you can expect from me.
Your Doctors, Hospitals, and Prescriptions Checked First: I know South Florida’s health systems, including Memorial Healthcare System, HCA Florida, and Baptist Health. Before I recommend any plan, I check your doctors, hospitals, and every prescription against its network and drug list, including your pharmacy. If something is unclear, I’ll call your doctor’s office myself.
Every Question Answered, at Your Pace: This is one of the biggest Medicare decisions, and most people spend less than an hour on it. I take as long as you need, explain each piece in plain language, and answer every question until it makes sense. There’s no pressure and no obligation to enroll.
The Plan That Costs Less for You: I add up premiums, copays, drug costs, and the most you could pay in a year on each path, based on how you actually use care, so you can compare them on more than the monthly premium.
My Help Costs You Nothing Extra: Insurers pay my commission, and plan premiums are generally the same whether you enroll through me or directly, so you get personal guidance and ongoing support at no additional charge.
Both Paths, Side by Side: I lay out Original Medicare with a Medigap plan and Medicare Advantage side by side, including what you’d gain and give up with each, with no recommendation until you’ve seen both. There’s no pressure and no obligation to enroll.
I Handle the Paperwork and Protect Your Options: I help you understand your Medigap Open Enrollment Period, trial rights, and guaranteed issue rights before you decide, so you know which choices are easy to change later and which aren’t. If you choose a plan, I complete the application with you and follow it through to approval.
Licensed and Verified: I’m licensed in 33 states, I complete AHIP’s annual Medicare certification, and I’m certified for the 2027 plan year. You can verify my license (Florida License #W323530, NPN #17946070) anytime through your state’s insurance department.
I Stay Your Agent After You Enroll: Work with me directly, in person, by phone, on Zoom, or at your home in Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach, and I reply within 24 to 48 hours. I review your coverage every Annual Enrollment Period and help with claims and billing in between.
You can read all 25 reasons we should work together on my Why Choose Me page.
How Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement Work
Each path has its own service page with the full details: my Medicare Advantage plans page and my Medicare Supplement plans page. This guide compares them.
Original Medicare is Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). It’s run by the federal government, and it lets you see any doctor or hospital in the country that accepts Medicare. It doesn’t have a yearly limit on what you pay, and it covers very few prescription drugs, so most people add more coverage in one of two ways.
Original Medicare with a Medicare Supplement: A Medicare Supplement plan, also called Medigap, works alongside Original Medicare. Medicare pays its share of each covered bill first, and your Medigap plan then pays some or all of what’s left, such as deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. In Florida, Medigap plans are standardized by letter, so a Plan G has the same basic benefits from one insurance company to the next, while premiums can differ. Medigap plans sold today don’t include drug coverage, so most people add a separate Part D plan.
Medicare Advantage: A Medicare Advantage plan, also called Part C, is a different way to get your Part A and Part B benefits. It isn’t a supplement and isn’t added on top of Original Medicare. Instead, a private insurance company approved by Medicare covers your hospital and medical care, usually through a provider network, and most plans include drug coverage in the same plan. You still have Medicare, and you still pay your Part B premium, but your Medicare Advantage plan handles your claims.
What you can’t do: You can’t use a Medigap plan to pay costs in a Medicare Advantage plan, and it’s illegal for an insurance company to sell you a Medigap plan while you’re in Medicare Advantage unless you’re switching back to Original Medicare. That’s why the choice comes down to one path or the other, not a mix of both.
Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage Chart
This Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage chart sums up the main differences in plain language. It describes how each path works in general. Individual Medicare Advantage plans vary in their networks, copays, and extra benefits, and they can change every year.
| Original Medicare + Medicare Supplement (Medigap) | Medicare Advantage | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Works alongside Original Medicare and helps pay what Medicare leaves | Replaces how you get Part A and Part B benefits, through a private plan approved by Medicare |
| Doctors and hospitals | Any provider in the U.S. that accepts Medicare | Usually a plan network (HMO or PPO) |
| Referrals and approvals | Generally no referrals; Original Medicare rarely requires prior approval | Some plans require referrals, and many services may need prior authorization |
| Yearly cost structure | Monthly Medigap premium, plus a Part D premium; little or nothing at the doctor, depending on the plan letter | Plan premium (some are $0) plus copays and coinsurance as you use care, up to a yearly out-of-pocket maximum |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit | No limit in Original Medicare; most Medigap plans cover most of the gaps, and Plans K and L have their own limits | Required; each plan sets its own yearly limit, up to the maximum Medicare allows |
| Prescription drugs | Separate Part D plan | Usually included in the plan |
| Travel within the U.S. | Same coverage anywhere Medicare is accepted | Emergency and urgent care covered nationwide; routine care is usually local |
| Routine dental, vision, hearing | Not included | Often included, with limits |
| Switching later | Getting a Medigap plan later may require health questions | You can change Medicare Advantage plans each Annual Enrollment Period |
Doctors, Hospitals, and Costs in Broward County
Your doctors and hospitals: Broward County has several large health systems, including Memorial Healthcare System (Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, and Memorial Hospital Pembroke), Broward Health (Broward Health Medical Center, Broward Health North, Broward Health Imperial Point, and Broward Health Coral Springs), HCA Florida hospitals such as HCA Florida Westside Hospital in Plantation and HCA Florida Northwest Hospital in Margate, Cleveland Clinic Florida’s hospital in Weston, and Baptist Health’s outpatient and urgent care centers in western Broward. With Original Medicare and a Medigap plan, you can use any of them that accept Medicare, with no network to check. With Medicare Advantage, each plan has its own network, and networks can change from year to year. A plan may include one system’s hospitals and not another’s, or include a hospital but not the specialists you see there. That’s why I check every doctor and hospital you use before we compare plans. For more on how networks work, see my guide to Medicare Advantage HMO vs. PPO in Broward County.
How Medicare Advantage costs work: Many Medicare Advantage plans have low monthly premiums, and some have a $0 premium, but you pay copays or coinsurance as you use care, such as a copay for a specialist visit or a hospital stay. Every plan has a yearly out-of-pocket maximum for covered Part A and Part B services. Medicare sets the highest limit a plan can have each year, and many plans set their limits lower. PPO plans usually have a second, higher limit that combines in-network and out-of-network care. Your drug costs are counted separately under the plan’s Part D rules. If you rarely use care, your costs can stay low. If you have a serious illness, you could reach the maximum.
How Medigap costs work: With a Medicare Supplement, you pay a monthly Medigap premium and a separate Part D premium, plus your Part B premium. In return, most of your Medicare-covered costs at the doctor or hospital are paid, depending on the plan letter. Plan G, for example, covers everything except the Part B deductible, and Plan N adds some small copays and doesn’t cover Part B excess charges. Premiums are higher than many Medicare Advantage plans, but your yearly costs are usually more predictable. My guides to Medicare Plan G vs. Plan N in Florida and how much Medicare Supplement insurance costs in Fort Lauderdale go into more detail.
Neither path is automatically the lower-cost one. The comparison depends on how often you see doctors, what prescriptions you take, and how much risk you’re comfortable with in a year when your health changes.
Drug Coverage, Travel, and Extra Benefits
Prescription drugs: Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D drug coverage in one plan, with one card. With Original Medicare and a Medigap plan, you add a standalone Part D plan. Either way, Part D rules apply: for 2027, your out-of-pocket spending on covered drugs is capped at $2,400, and each plan has its own drug list and pharmacy network. If you join a Medicare Advantage plan that includes drug coverage, you generally can’t also keep a separate Part D plan. My Medicare Part D page explains drug coverage in more detail.
Travel and snowbirds: Many people in Broward County spend part of the year up north or visit family in other states. Original Medicare and a Medigap plan work the same way anywhere in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans must cover emergency and urgent care anywhere in the U.S., but routine care, such as checkups and specialist visits, is usually tied to the plan’s local network. Some PPO plans cover out-of-network care at a higher cost, and some plans offer visitor or travel programs with their own rules. If you’re away from your plan’s service area for more than six months in a row, you’ll generally be disenrolled. For travel outside the U.S., many Medigap plans, including Plans G and N, cover 80% of emergency care abroad after a deductible and up to a lifetime limit, while Medicare Advantage coverage abroad varies by plan.
Extra benefits: Original Medicare doesn’t cover most routine dental, vision, or hearing care, and Medigap plans don’t add it. Many Medicare Advantage plans include some of these benefits, along with extras like fitness programs, though each plan sets its own limits and the benefits can change every year. If you choose a Medigap plan, I can also help you look at separate dental, vision, and supplemental coverage.
Switching Later and Medigap Underwriting
This is the part of the decision people most often learn about too late. You can change Medicare Advantage plans, or go back to Original Medicare, during the Annual Enrollment Period each year, October 15 to December 7. For 2027 coverage, that window is open now. Getting a Medigap plan later is a different story.
Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period: You get a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you’re 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurance companies have to sell you any Medigap plan they offer, and they can’t charge you more or turn you down because of your health. Florida also gives people under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability a six-month window after their Part B starts.
After that window: Outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period and certain guaranteed issue situations, insurance companies in Florida can generally ask health questions, and they can charge more or turn you down based on your answers. So if you choose Medicare Advantage now and later want to switch to a Medigap plan, you may not be able to get one, or it may cost more.
Trial rights and guaranteed issue: There are some protections. If you joined a Medicare Advantage plan when you first became eligible at 65, you generally have a one-year trial right to switch to Original Medicare and buy a Medigap plan without health questions. If you dropped a Medigap plan to try Medicare Advantage for the first time, you can generally return within your first year. Other guaranteed issue rights apply in certain situations, such as when your Medicare Advantage plan leaves your area. My guide to switching from Medicare Advantage to Medigap without underwriting explains when those rights apply.
Switching in either direction has trade-offs. Leaving Medicare Advantage can mean giving up its extra benefits, its out-of-pocket maximum, and possibly a lower premium. Leaving a Medigap plan can mean giving up your freedom to see any provider that accepts Medicare, and you may not be able to get it back. I’ll explain both sides before you change anything.
Medicare Supplement vs. Medicare Advantage Pros and Cons
Here are the Medicare Supplement vs. Medicare Advantage pros and cons as they usually play out, and the kinds of situations where each one tends to fit. Your own doctors, health, and budget matter more than any general rule.
Medicare Supplement pros: freedom to see any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, usually without referrals, predictable yearly costs, and coverage that works the same way when you travel.
Medicare Supplement cons: higher monthly premiums, a separate Part D plan to manage, no routine dental, vision, or hearing benefits, and possible health questions if you apply after your Medigap Open Enrollment Period.
Medicare Advantage pros: often lower monthly premiums, drug coverage and medical coverage in one plan, a yearly out-of-pocket maximum, and extra benefits like dental, vision, and hearing in many plans.
Medicare Advantage cons: networks that can limit which doctors and hospitals you use, copays that add up if you need a lot of care, possible referrals and prior authorization, routine care that’s usually local, and networks and benefits that can change every year.
Who each tends to fit: A Medicare Supplement often fits people who want the widest choice of doctors, see several specialists, travel often or live part of the year in another state, or want predictable costs and are willing to pay a higher premium for them. Medicare Advantage often fits people whose doctors and hospitals are all in a plan’s network, who want lower monthly premiums and one plan for medical and drug coverage, who value extra benefits, and who are comfortable with copays as they use care. These Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage pros and cons are a starting point. When we compare Medicare Advantage vs. supplement plans for you, the real answer comes from checking your own doctors, prescriptions, and full-year costs. For a general look at every Medicare path, see my overview of your Medicare options.
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Most households need more than one kind of coverage, and what you need changes as life does. Keep reading for the details on this page, or see all the coverage I help with and my guides to each type of insurance:
Frequently Asked Questions About Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement
What Is Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage?
Medigap, also called a Medicare Supplement, is a private insurance plan that works alongside Original Medicare and helps pay costs Medicare leaves behind, like deductibles and coinsurance. Medicare Advantage is a different way to get your Part A and Part B benefits, through a private plan approved by Medicare that usually has a network and often includes drug coverage. With Medigap, Original Medicare still pays your claims first. With Medicare Advantage, the plan handles your claims.
Is Medicare Advantage a Type of Medicare Supplement?
No. Medicare Advantage isn’t a supplement. It replaces how you receive your Part A and Part B benefits, while a Medicare Supplement plan adds to Original Medicare. The two work in different ways and can’t be used together.
Can I Have Both a Medicare Advantage Plan and a Medigap Plan?
No. A Medigap plan can’t pay costs in a Medicare Advantage plan, and an insurance company can’t sell you a Medigap plan while you’re in Medicare Advantage unless you’re switching back to Original Medicare. If you already have a Medigap plan and join Medicare Advantage, you’d usually drop the Medigap plan, and you may not be able to get it back later.
Which Is Better, Medicare Advantage or a Medicare Supplement?
Neither is better for everyone. Looking at the Medicare Supplement vs. Medicare Advantage pros and cons, a Medicare Supplement offers wider provider choice and more predictable costs, with higher premiums. Medicare Advantage often has lower premiums and extra benefits, with networks and copays. The right fit depends on your doctors, prescriptions, health, travel, and budget, which is why I compare Medicare Advantage vs. supplement plans for your own situation, side by side.
Do Both Options Include Prescription Drug Coverage?
Most Medicare Advantage plans include drug coverage. Medigap plans don’t, so people with a Medigap plan usually add a standalone Part D plan. For 2027, Part D out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs are capped at $2,400 either way.
I Spend Part of the Year Up North. Which Path Works Better for Travel?
Original Medicare and a Medigap plan work the same way anywhere in the U.S. that accepts Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans cover emergency and urgent care nationwide, but routine care is usually tied to the local network, and being out of the service area for more than six months in a row generally ends your enrollment. Some PPO plans and travel programs help, so I’ll check how each plan handles the months you’re away.
When Can I Switch Between Medicare Advantage and Medigap?
You can join, switch, or drop a Medicare Advantage plan during the Annual Enrollment Period, which runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage starting January 1, 2027. People already in a Medicare Advantage plan also have the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period, January 1 to March 31, when they can make one change, including going back to Original Medicare. You can apply for a Medigap plan at any time, but outside your Medigap Open Enrollment Period or a guaranteed issue situation, insurance companies in Florida can generally ask health questions and may turn you down.
Do You Offer Every Plan in My Area?
No. We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 8 organizations which offer 65 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to get information on all of your options. In Florida, you can also get free Medicare counseling through the state’s SHIP program, called SHINE.
Book a Free Plan Review
Pick a time for a free 15-minute call by phone or video. Bring your list of doctors, hospitals, and medications, and I’ll show you how each path covers them. My help never costs you anything extra.
Call or text: (954) 410-3710
Email: contact@chaperonehealthinsuranceplus.com
Office: 6360 NW 5th Way Ste 101, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Meet by: phone, video, at my office, or at home in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
- How It Works
How we'll work together
Five steps, no pressure, and I stay with you after you enroll.
1
We talk about you
By phone, Zoom or face to face. Your health, your budget, your doctors.
2
I check the details
Doctors, hospitals, prescriptions and pharmacy, checked against each plan.
3
We compare real costs
A full-year estimate for each option, explained in plain language.
4
You decide, I enroll you
No pressure. If you choose a plan, I handle the application with you.
5
We review every year
Plans and networks change. I check yours each year and help with claims in between.