Yes. Leaving an Advantage plan is the simple half. The part to think through is what covers the gaps once you’re back.
When you can do it. There are two chances each year. From October 15 to December 7, anyone can make the change, and it starts January 1. From January 1 to March 31, people already in an Advantage plan get one more chance, and the change starts the following month.
Add a drug plan. Your Advantage plan probably included prescriptions. Original Medicare doesn’t, so you’d pick up a Part D plan at the same time.
Then there’s Medigap. Original Medicare has no yearly cap on what you can owe, which is why most people add a supplement to it. We put the two side by side in Medigap versus Advantage costs. Once your first six months on Part B have passed, insurers in Colorado can usually ask health questions before they sell you one, and they can say no. So the road back to Original Medicare is always open. The supplement isn’t always waiting at the other end.
A few situations do guarantee you one.
- You chose Advantage when your Medicare first started at 65 and you’re still in your first year
- You dropped a Medigap policy to try Advantage for the first time, and it’s been less than a year
- Your plan is leaving your area, or you’re moving out of its area
If none of those fit, do it in this order. Apply for the Medigap plan first, wait for the approval, and only then leave Advantage. That’s how we walk our clients through it, so nobody ends up with Original Medicare and nothing behind it.
Sometimes the real complaint is the network or the bills, and a different Advantage plan fixes it. We compared Advantage plan types for that reason, and it’s worth ruling out before you make the bigger move.