CommuniCare Advantage provides Medicare Advantage plans, which offer benefits in addition to traditional Medicare coverage.
Traditional Medicare coverage is called “fee-for-service” because healthcare providers bill Medicare for each service they provide to a patient. This coverage has three parts:
Congress created Medicare+Choice plans, or Part C plans, in 1997. In 2003, they became known as Medicare Advantage Plans. Medicare Advantage Plans offer a more coordinated process to healthcare for older Americans than traditional, fee-for-service Medicare. These plans typically provide extra benefits that may include wellness services, dental care, and vision care. Learn more about benefits
Medicare Advantage plans cover the services offered in Parts A and B. Many Advantage Plans also cover Part D (prescription) services plus additional services. (CommuniCare Advantage does.) About a third of Americans who receive Medicare participate in a Medicare Advantage plan.
Medicare Advantage Plans are offered by private companies such as CommuniCare Advantage that contract with Medicare to provide Part A and Part B benefits. Medicare Advantage plans have certain rules that determine who is eligible and that mandate members to use participating providers.
Different Medicare Advantage programs are available for various populations. In 2003, Congress created Special Needs Plans to improve care for the most vulnerable Medicare recipients. Special Needs Plans may address the unique needs of those living in a nursing facility (the Institutional Special Needs Plan, or ISNP) or the needs of people with chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus, heart failure, or cardiovascular disease (the Chronic Condition Special Needs Plan, or CSNP).