Colliton

sive and your health deteriorates later, you may not be able to get a Medicare Supplement later. So the safer choice, if you can afford it, might be to start with a Medicare Supplement. You can switch from a Medicare Supplement to a Medicare Advantage later without underwriting but usually not the reverse.

If you are already on a Medicare Advantage Plan and want to change it to another Medicare Advantage Plan or Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), the open enrollment period to do this is basically from a given date in October to a given date in December.

Differences between companies are in the servicing and cost. If you buy a Medicare Supplement Plan from United Healthcare, for instance, and you compare it to a Medicare Supplement Plan from Humana, as long as it has the same letter (For instance, Medicare Supplement “G” or Medicare Supplement “N”), it has the same coverage. The differences are customer service and cost. If you want to know what each coverage is by the letter, check out www.medicare.gov. The differences among Medicare Advantage plans are complicated. It would usually be helpful to consult with an expert since most of the materials you receive by mail are likely to be for advertising purposes only.

If you are confused, get help. The Chester County APPRISE program (610344-6035) staffed by volunteers, is excellent or check with an elder law attorney or insurance agent who works in this field. Janet Colliton, Esq. is a Certified Elder Law Attorney and limits her practice, to elder law, retirement and estate planning, Medicaid, Medicare, life care, and special needs at 790 East Market St., Suite 250, West Chester, Pa., 19382, 610-436-6674, colliton@ collitonlaw.com. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and, with Jeffrey Jones, CSA, cofounder of Life Transition Services, LLC, a service for families with long term care needs. Tune in on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. to radio WCHE 1520, “50+ Planning Ahead,” with Janet Colliton, Colliton Elder Law Associates, and Phil McFadden, Home Instead Senior Care.