If Margaret is enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage and enrolls in a standalone PDP, what will happen?

When an individual enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that includes prescription drug coverage decides to enroll in a standalone Prescription Drug Plan (PDP), that individual will automatically be disenrolled from the Medicare Advantage plan. This is because Medicare rules specify that a person can only be enrolled in one type of Medicare drug coverage at a time. When Margaret enrolls in the standalone PDP, it is treated as a new enrollment in drug coverage that invalidates her existing coverage through the Medicare Advantage plan.

Choosing to have both types of coverage simultaneously is not allowed under Medicare regulations. Hence, the system automatically disenrolls her from the MA PD plan to ensure compliance with these rules. Such provisions are in place to prevent conflicts between coverage options and to streamline the benefits a Medicare recipient can receive, ensuring that they have a clear primary source of coverage.