Wisconsin Medicare Cost plans made for you

Medicare Cost plans work alongside Original Medicare. This means if you go out of network for care, your Original Medicare benefits will kick in for covered services. Cost plans also offer more flexibility, because you can drop your Cost plan and go back to Original Medicare at any time. Medicare Cost plans also usually come with extra perks and benefits you can’t get with Original Medicare.

You can enroll in a Medicare Cost plan even if you only have Original Medicare Part B. This is different from Medicare Advantage plans, where you need to have both Parts A and B to enroll.

Medicare Cost plans often include features and benefits you don’t get with Original Medicare. Perks vary by plan but may include:

Medicare Cost plans may or may not include Part D prescription drug coverage. If you want this coverage and your Medicare Cost plan doesn’t include it, you can get it by also enrolling in a stand-alone Part D plan that works alongside your Cost plan. To browse stand-alone Medicare Part D plans, visit medicare.gov .

Like Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Cost plans have a network of doctors, providers, clinics and hospitals, which helps keep costs low.

But unlike Medicare Advantage plans, if you go out of your Cost plan’s network for covered care, your Original Medicare benefits will kick in. If that happens, you’ll pay Original Medicare’s coinsurance and deductibles.

If you’d like to enroll in a medical-only Medicare Cost plan (or switch plans), you can do so at any time throughout the year. The only requirements are that the plan is open for enrollment and that you’ve already enrolled in Medicare Part B. Coverage from any new plan starts on the first of the month after the date you enroll.

If you’d like to enroll in a Medicare Cost plan that has Part D prescription drug coverage, you can only do so during certain periods. These include Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period (AEP),your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), and Special Enrollment Period (SEPs) triggered by certain qualifying events like moving or losing your current coverage.