Is Medicare Advantage A Supplement To Medicare? 
Medicare Advantage is a private form of Medicare run by insurance companies . When you enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan you are no longer participating in original Medicare . Your doctor and other providers file claims with your Advantage insurance carrier , not with Medicare . Your Advantage carrier adjudicates the claim and pays it if approved . Advantage plans are not a supplement to Medicare , they replace Medicare . Amplification . Some people are confused about this since Advantage plans are often referred to as Medicare Part C . When you enroll in an Advantage plan your benefits are provided by an insurance carrier that is a sub-contractor of Medicare . Other than your Medicare Part B premium -LRB- which is still paid to Medicare , or deducted from your Social Security check -RRB- premiums -LRB- if any -RRB- for your benefits are paid to the Advantage carrier . Medicare does not review or adjudicate claims . Medicare does not resolve claim disputes you may have with your Advantage carrier . All of your benefits are covered and provided by your Advantage policy . If you decide to drop your Advantage coverage you have a right to switch to original Medicare . Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage are two separate and distinct systems of providing health insurance . Advantage plans cover the same medical conditions as Medicare -LRB- except Advantage carriers will not issue a policy if you have ESRD -RRB- but the benefits and administration are completely separate . Consider this . Medicare Part D is an insured benefit you purchase from an insurance carrier . The drug plans are not offered direct by Medicare and your claims are handled by the insurance carrier or the PBM that manages the coverage for them . Medicare Part C and D are completely independent from Medicare . 