Ten questions to ask before you switch Medicare Advantage plans

• Are my doctors and my hospital in the network, by name?
• Is every one of my medicines on the drug list, and in which tier?
• What is the premium, and what is the deductible?
• What is the most I could pay in a year for covered care?
• Do I need referrals or approvals for specialists and tests?
• What happens if I need care away from home?
• What do the extras, like dental or vision, actually cover and up to what limit?
• When would the plan start, and what happens to my current one?
• Can I leave later, and when?
• Who do I call with problems, and how are they reached?

Plan details change from year to year. A written summary of benefits is what you can check later against what you were told.

• Your doctors and medicines
• Your current plan's summary of benefits

• Will I lose my doctor if my Medicare plan changes?
• Medicare Advantage extras: dental, vision, hearing and over-the-counter cards
• Medicare star ratings: what they measure and how to use them