How can I undo a Medicare Advantage plan mistake?

A Medicare columnist is advising a Florida woman on how to exit a Medicare Advantage PPO plan she says is costing her a fortune because most specialists and radiology facilities are out of network. The reader, identified as Sybil from Orlando, wrote to columnist Toni King explaining she switched from a Medicare Supplement Plan G to the Advantage plan during the 2024 open enrollment period after friends told her the PPO was similar to a supplement with drug coverage.

King writes that the annual open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, is the only time to make such a change. The best method to disenroll from an Advantage plan is to enroll in a standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, which automatically returns the beneficiary to original Medicare.

However, King warns there is a critical catch: the beneficiary must medically qualify for a new Medicare supplement plan through health underwriting before enrolling in the Part D plan. Because Sybil enrolled in the Advantage plan during the 2025 open enrollment period, she is past the initial six-month Medigap enrollment window when no health questions are asked.

King points to a specific protection outlined in the Medicare guide "Choosing a Medigap Policy" for people who dropped a supplement to try an Advantage plan for the first time, have been in it less than a year, and want their old policy back. Sybil should contact her previous supplement issuer immediately to see if she falls within that "less than a year" window to repurchase her old Plan G without underwriting.

If that window has closed and health issues prevent her from qualifying for a new supplement, King says a Medicare Advantage plan may be her only option. She suggests checking if local providers participate in an HMO-style Advantage plan, though that might require changing doctors.

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal