If you are eligible for Medicare, I recommend you do not sign up for a Medicare Advantage plan. Look at what happened to UVM Health Advantage, a MVP plan offered in partnership with the University of Vermont Health Network. They found their plan is no longer viable and are asking their 5,500 members to switch to Traditional Medicare or another Medicare Advantage plan. The news came just weeks before Medicare’s annual open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7. The plans will only provide coverage until Jan. 1.

If you must make a decision about your Medicare Coverage, I recommend you sign up for Traditional Medicare, a supplement (Medigap) and Medicare D (drug plan).

This is a very unstable time to commit to privatized Medicare (Medicare Advantage plans) given the changes that are likely to take place over the next year or two.

Linda Andrews

Bristol