To narrow down your choices, think about your healthcare needs and ask yourself:

1. Is cost a priority? If so, find the most affordable plan for your needs. Dual Eligible Special Needs plans and Medicare Advantage HMO plans offer greater savings over a PPO plan. Find the right plan in your area.
2. Does it matter which doctor you go to? If so, check to make sure your doctors are in-network. If they aren’t, and you can afford it, you may want to consider a PPO plan, which lets you go out of network. Are your doctors in network?
3. Do you wear glasses or have vision issues? If so, choose a plan with vision benefits and an allowance for glasses and contact lenses.
4. Do you have hearing issues? If so, choose a plan with hearing benefits and an allowance for hearing aids.
5. Do you have separate dental coverage? If not, choose a Medicare Advantage plan with dental benefits, including preventive comprehensive care.
6. Do you need in-home care? If you qualify, you should consider a Managed Long-term Care plan or a plan that offers some in-home care services.
7. Are your prescription drugs covered? Make sure your plan includes prescription drug coverage and then check the plan’s formulary to make sure your prescriptions are covered at a cost you can afford.
8. Do you have any chronic diseases? If so, and you’ll have many doctor visits, you may want to consider a plan with lower copays for specialist visits.
9. Are you fairly healthy with no chronic diseases? If so, you may want to consider a plan with low or no premium. You may have higher copays, but your monthly premium payment will be low.
10. Do you need help paying for non-prescription items? Consider a plan with an OTC card that helps pay for over-the-counter items such as cold, flu, and allergy medicines, digestive aids, and first aid. If you’re eligible, you can also use your OTC Plus card to pay for healthy foods, home utilities, personal care items, household cleaning supplies, and more.^* Plans with OTC Plus cards.