JCKC does not sell Medigap. It is explained here anyway, because a reader choosing Medicare Advantage is also choosing not to buy Medigap at the one moment when it cannot be refused, and nobody should make that trade without being told it is a trade.
They solve the same problem differently
A Medicare Advantage plan is an alternative way to get your Part A and Part B benefits, run by a private insurer. You keep paying the Part B premium. The plan sets its own network, its own cost sharing, and a yearly out-of-pocket maximum; once you reach that maximum, the plan pays 100 percent of covered services for the rest of the calendar year. Drug coverage is usually built in.
A Medigap policy is not Medicare coverage. It is a separate policy that pays some of the cost sharing Original Medicare leaves you with — the Part B coinsurance, for instance. You keep Original Medicare, keep access to any provider who accepts Medicare, and buy a stand-alone Part D plan separately for drugs.
The practical differences
| Medicare Advantage | Medigap | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | How you receive Part A and Part B | A policy alongside Original Medicare |
| Providers | Plan network, with referral rules on some plans | Any provider who accepts Medicare |
| Yearly out-of-pocket limit | Yes, set by the plan | No limit as such; the policy absorbs cost sharing |
| Drug coverage | Usually included | Not included — buy a separate Part D plan |
| Extra benefits | Often dental, vision, hearing, transport | No |
| Can you be turned down later? | No | Yes, outside the six-month window and guaranteed-issue situations |
Medigap policy rules are federal; what a given policy letter covers is standardised. Source: CMS, Choosing a Medigap Policy.
The asymmetry that decides most cases
You can move into Medicare Advantage at any Annual Enrollment Period for the rest of your life, and no insurer may refuse you on health grounds.
Medigap does not work that way. The federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period is six months, beginning when you are 65 and enrolled in Part B, and inside it an insurer must sell to you regardless of health. Outside it, except in specific guaranteed-issue situations, you can be medically underwritten and declined. Florida does not add an annual guaranteed-issue window on top.
So the real question at 65 is not only which product fits this year. It is whether you are content to close the Medigap door, because for most people in Florida it closes once.
What actually decides it
- Do you travel, or spend part of the year elsewhere? A network is a constraint in a way that “any provider who accepts Medicare” is not.
- Do you already have specialists you intend to keep? Check them against the network before anything else; see how to check your doctors and drugs.
- Is your health stable or deteriorating? This is the uncomfortable one. Underwriting later is a real risk, not a theoretical one.
- Can you carry the Medigap premium every month? A policy you cannot sustain is worse than one you never bought.
Also on this site
Dated coverage of this topic, where the figures move year to year:
Frequently asked questions
Can I have both Medicare Advantage and Medigap?
No. A Medigap policy cannot pay anything toward Medicare Advantage cost sharing, and it is illegal for someone to sell you one if they know you are in a Medicare Advantage plan. The two are alternatives, not a pair.
Does JCKC sell Medigap?
No. We explain it because the comparison does not work without it, not because we have a policy to place. If a Medigap policy is the right answer for you, we will say so.
If I choose Medicare Advantage at 65, can I switch to Medigap later?
You can apply, but outside the six-month window and outside specific guaranteed-issue situations an insurer in Florida can underwrite you and decline. That is the main risk in choosing Advantage first.
Does Medigap cover prescription drugs?
No. Medigap policies sold today do not include drug coverage. You buy a stand-alone Part D plan alongside, and the Part D late enrollment penalty applies if you go without creditable drug coverage.
Sources
- Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · read 2026-10-19
- When can I buy a Medigap policy? — Medicare.gov · read 2026-10-19
- Medicare costs — Medicare.gov · read 2026-10-19
This guide explains published rules and figures, with the source for each one. It is not advice about your own situation.