Medicare advantage prescription drug plan (MA-PD)
DEFINITION: A Medicare Advantage prescription drug plan (MA-PD) is a Medicare Advantage plan that includes Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.
Medicare Advantage is an alternative to Original Medicare, and it combines Medicare Part A and Part B into one, privately-offered plan. An MA-PD also includes Part D coverage, so a person who selects an MA-PD would have Part A, B, and D coverage, all under one plan (note that in addition to the Medicare Advantage premiums, the enrollee still has to pay Part B premiums directly to the government; in most cases, this is in the form of a deduction from his or her Social Security check).
Almost all Medicare Advantage plans are MP-PDs: 88 percent of Medicare Advantage plans included prescription drug coverage as of 2017.
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