[larrymyers]

When talk about Medicare they are usually talking about Part A (hospital care) and Part B (provider coverage), and sometimes Part D (prescription drug coverage). You are on your own for everything else, including dental and vision care. Adding dental coverage to Medicare continues to die in committee every year in congress.

So if you know you'll need continued care from your dentist and eye doctor then Medicare Advantage can be a good thing, since most of the highly rated plans provide that coverage as part of their benefits.

You can also get benefits for things hearing aids, and transportation to and from your provider visits, etc.

Yes, if you sign up for Medicare Advantage you'll find yourself back in the world of the In-Network and Out-of-Network care model.

At the end of the day though it's disingenuous to just label Medicare Advantage as solely the privatization of Medicare. The only way insurance companies that provide Medicare Advantage stay in business is if they provide a high standard of care for their members. The payment model set by CMS incentivizes them to do so.