Medicare questions
Should I Choose Medicare Advantage or Medigap in Florida?
It depends on how you weigh monthly cost against flexibility. Florida is one of the most competitive Medicare Advantage markets in the country, with plan lineups that vary by county. Medigap costs more each month but works with any doctor nationwide who accepts Medicare, which matters for travelers and snowbirds.
Written by the licensed advisor team at Pinnacle Insurance Advisors · Last updated July 29, 2026
Two Different Ways to Receive Your Medicare
Medicare Advantage bundles your Part A and Part B benefits into a private plan, usually with a provider network, prior authorization rules, and extras such as dental or vision. You keep paying the standard Part B premium, which is $202.90 per month in 2026, and the plan sets its own copays up to an annual out-of-pocket limit.
The Medigap route keeps you on Original Medicare and adds a supplement that pays most of what Medicare does not. With Plan G, for example, your main medical cost after premiums is the $283 Part B deductible in 2026. You will also need a separate Part D plan for prescriptions. Monthly costs are higher on this path, but there is no network and no referral needed to see any doctor in the country who accepts Medicare.
Why Florida Is Its Own Conversation
Florida is one of the most competitive Medicare Advantage markets in the country, and that competition plays out at the county level. The lineup of plans available in Broward County is not the same as the lineup one county over, so advice that fits your neighbor or your sister in another part of the state may not fit you.
Competition also means change. Plans adjust benefits, networks, and drug coverage every year, which is why the Annual Notice of Change your plan sends by September 30 deserves a careful read. A plan that was the strongest choice in your county last year is not automatically the strongest choice next year, and CMS announces final 2027 figures in late September 2026.
The Snowbird Caveat
If you split the year between Florida and another state, networks matter more than anything on the benefits page. Medicare Advantage networks are local, and routine care outside your plan's service area is generally not covered apart from emergencies. Medigap travels with you, because any doctor in any state who accepts Medicare can treat you.
One more asymmetry to weigh: it is easy to move from Medigap into Medicare Advantage later, but moving the other way usually requires medical underwriting, so your health at the time decides whether you can switch. Many Floridians choose their first path with that one-way door in mind.
Pinnacle Insurance Advisors is an independent agency in Fort Lauderdale that compares both paths county by county at no cost. Call 1-877-826-0053 for a free review.