Original Medicare vs a plan · Kings County, NY · 2027 plan year

Original Medicare vs VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

Medicare.gov compares Medicare Advantage plans with each other. This page also shows Original Medicare, so you can see the full trade-off: premiums, copays, the yearly limit, extra benefits, and the rules about doctors and approvals.

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VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

Plan premium
$40.50 a month
Yearly limit, in network
$9,850
2027 star rating
3.5 of 5
Prior authorization needed for
19 services

In New York, you can go back to Medigap later

New York requires Medigap companies to sell you a plan at any time of year, and your health does not change the price. So you can try Medicare Advantage and go back to Original Medicare with Medigap later.

Read about Medigap rights on Medicare.gov

Your yearly cost, side by side

Move the controls to match your year. Totals include premiums, the Part B premium, copays, and drug costs.

How much care do you expect?

Ongoing specialist care

Medigap plan with Original Medicare

Plan G pays almost everything after the $292 yearly Part B deductible.

Want to check your exact drugs? Medicare.gov lets you enter each drug and shows what each plan charges for it. Enter your drugs on Medicare.gov

Medicare.gov lists $371 to $773 a month for a 65-year-old woman who does not use tobacco. We start at the lowest price. Health questions can raise the price after your first 6 months with Part B.

Original Medicare

With Medigap Plan G at $371 a month and Wellcare Value Script (PDP)

$9,881 a year

Premiums
$7,414
Medical costs
$292
Drugs
$2,175

Most you can pay in a bad year, before drugs: $7,706.

VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

HMO from VillageCareMAX

$6,195 a year

Premiums
$3,000
Medical costs
$795
Drugs
$2,400

Most you can pay in a bad year, before drugs: $12,850.

With these settings, VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO) costs about $3,686 less a year than Original Medicare.

Tipping point for VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO): with this drug use, if your medical copays and coinsurance in this plan pass $4,481 in a year, Original Medicare with Plan G costs less. The plan caps those costs at $9,850.

These are estimates, not quotes. Check every number with Medicare (Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE) and with the plan before you choose. What you pay depends on your doctors and hospitals, your drugs and pharmacy, and the care you use. Drug costs use typical prices for generic and brand-name drugs. Original Medicare amounts are 2027 projections from the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report. CMS sets the final amounts in November.

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What you pay each time you get care

In-network costs for one visit or one stay. The Original Medicare amounts follow your Medigap choice above: Plan G.

Primary doctor visit

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $0 copay

Specialist visit

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $15

Lab tests

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    most Medicare-covered tests

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $0

    Prior authorization

MRI or CT scan

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    20%

    Prior authorization

Emergency room

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $115

Urgent care

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $40

Outpatient surgery

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $200

    Prior authorization

Ground ambulance

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    after the $292 yearly Part B deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $250

    Prior authorization

Hospital stay, 5 days

  • Original Medicare + Medigap Plan G

    $0

    Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible

  • VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

    $2,370

    for a 5-day stay

    Prior authorization
See every cost in one table
What you pay in networkOriginal Medicare + Medigap Plan GVillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)
Monthly premiumPart B $209.50 + Medigap Plan G $371 + drug plan $37.30$40.50 + Part B $209.50
Yearly limit on what you payYou pay the $292 Part B deductible. Plan G pays the rest.$9,850 in network
Medical deductible$292 Part B. Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible.$0
Primary doctor visit$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$0 copay
Specialist visit$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$15 copay
Lab tests$0, most Medicare-covered tests$0 copayPrior authorization
MRI or CT scan$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible20% coinsurancePrior authorization
X-rays$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$0 copayPrior authorization
Emergency room$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$115 copay
Urgent care$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$40 copay
Outpatient hospital$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible20% coinsurancePrior authorization
Surgery center$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$200 copayPrior authorization
Ground ambulance$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$250 copayPrior authorization
Hospital stay$0, Plan G pays the $1,788 Part A deductible$474 per day for days 1-5; $0 per day for days 6-90Prior authorization
Skilled nursing facility$0, Plan G pays days 21-100$0 per day for days 1-20; $221 per day for days 21-100Prior authorization
Mental health visit$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$25 copay
Physical therapy$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible$25 copayPrior authorization
Home health care$0, Medicare-covered home health$0 copayPrior authorization
Medical equipment$0, after the $292 yearly Part B deductible20% coinsurancePrior authorization
Part B drugs$0 after the $292 Part B deductible0%-20% coinsurancePrior authorization
Drug deductible (Part D)$700 with Wellcare Value Script (PDP)$700
Drug tiers (one month, retail)Generic: $0 copayPreferred Brand: 25% coinsuranceNon-Preferred Drug: 39% coinsuranceInjectable Drugs: 15% coinsuranceSpecialty Tier: 25% coinsuranceSelect Care Drugs: $11 copayPreferred Generic: $8 copayGeneric: $18 copayPreferred Brand: 24% coinsuranceNon-Preferred Drug: 31% coinsuranceSpecialty Tier: 25% coinsuranceSelect Care Drugs: $0 copay

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A higher drug plan premium is not, by itself, a reason to switch

With Original Medicare, you buy a separate drug plan. In New York, 9 drug plans are for sale for 2027, from $37.30 to $238.30 a month. Half of them cost $169.30 a month or less.

  • Every 2027 drug plan limits what you pay for covered drugs to $2,400 a year. The drug coverage in Medicare Advantage plans has the same limit.
  • The premium is one part of your yearly cost. The calculator above adds premiums, medical costs, and drug costs, so you can see the whole year.
  • A Medicare Advantage plan can cost less in a light year. But you also take on its network and prior authorization rules.
  • If your income is limited, Extra Help can pay most of your drug plan premium and drug costs. Check Extra Help at SSA.gov

Doctors, referrals, and prior authorization

Cost is one side. The other side is how you get care. These rules come from the CMS plan files. Prior authorization means the plan must approve a service before you get it.

Original Medicare

  • Any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that takes Medicare
  • No referrals
  • Prior authorization only for a short list of services

VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

HMO

  • You use doctors and hospitals in the plan network. Outside the network, the plan pays for emergencies and urgent care.
  • No referral needed to see a specialist.

Prior authorization for 19 services

Diagnostic tests, MRI or CT, Radiation therapy, Outpatient hospital, Surgery center, Ambulance, Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, Home health, Partial hospitalization, Cardiac rehab, Pulmonary rehab, Medical equipment, Prosthetics, Diabetic supplies, Substance use care, Hospital stay, Skilled nursing, Part B drugs

Extra benefits

Extra benefitOriginal MedicareVillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)
DentalNoComprehensive, up to $900 a year
Eye examNoYes
Glasses or contactsNoYes, $300 allowance
Hearing aidsNoYes, up to $375
Over-the-counter allowanceNo$390 a year
Fitness benefitNoYes
Rides to careNoNo
Meals after a hospital stayNoNo
Emergency care abroadPlan G and Plan N pay 80% after a $250 deductibleYes
Part B premium givebackNoNo

What changed for 2027

VillageCareMAX Medicare Select Advantage Plan (HMO)

Renewal Plan · 2026 plan H2168-004-0

  • Monthly premium down from $59 to $40
  • In-network out-of-pocket maximum up from $9,250 to $9,850
  • Drug deductible up from $615 to $700
  • Inpatient hospital: $410 per day for days 1-4; $0 per day for days 5-90 to $474 per day for days 1-5; $0 per day for days 6-90
  • Skilled nursing facility: $0 per day for days 1-20; $218 per day for days 21-100 to $0 per day for days 1-20; $221 per day for days 21-100
  • Dental maximum down from $1,800 to $900
  • Yearly OTC allowance down from $400 to $390

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Sources and method

Plan data comes from the CMS 2027 Plan Benefit Package and landscape files. The data is from 2026-10-10. We checked a sample of plans field by field against Medicare.gov. Original Medicare amounts are the 2027 projections in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report (Tables V.E1 and V.E2). CMS sets the final amounts in November. Medigap prices are the range Medicare.gov showed for ZIP 11201 on 2026-10-09. Totals use typical Medicare-allowed amounts for each service and typical drug prices.

These are estimates, not quotes, and they are for education only. Check every number with Medicare and with the plan before you choose. What you pay depends on your doctors and hospitals, your drugs and pharmacy, and the care you use. Plans can change their benefits, premiums, drug lists, and networks each year.

Pinnie is not an insurance agent or broker and does not sell Medicare plans. Pinnie is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. government or the federal Medicare program. For all your options, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048.

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