To compare the Medicare Advantage Plans available in your county in Montana, click the link below.  It will display a document which compares  the plans that are available in each county in Montana.  The comparison starts on page 6 of the document.)

www.medicare.gov/medicarereform/mapdpdocs/MALandscapemt.pdf

What are Medicare Advantage Plans?

Medicare health plans provide different ways to get your health care coverage in the Medicare program. The Medicare health plan that you choose affects many things like cost, benefits, doctor choice, convenience, and quality. Your Medicare health plan choices include:

• Medicare Advantage (formerly Medicare + Choice) Plans - Available in many areas. If you have one of these plans, you don’t need a Medigap policy. Medicare Advantage Plans include:
  
  
  • Medicare Managed Care Plans
  • Medicare Preferred Provider Organization Plans (PPO)
  • Medicare Private Fee-for-Service Plans
  • Medicare Specialty Plans
  
  If you decide to join a Medicare Advantage Plan, then you will use the health care card that you get from your Medicare Advantage Plan (provider) for your health care. These plans often give you more choices and, sometimes, extra benefits, like extra days in the hospital.
  
  To join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you must have Medicare Part A and Part B. You will also still have to pay the Medicare Part B premium ($88.50 in 2006) to Medicare. In addition, if the Medicare Advantage Plan has a monthly premium you will need to pay that as well.  However, Medicare Advantage Plans typically have some extra benefits.
  
  If you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you don’t need a Medigap policy because Medicare Advantage Plans generally cover many of the same benefits that a Medigap policy would cover, like extra days in the hospital after you used the number of days that Medicare pays for.

(Some of the information above is excerpted from the Medicare.gov website.)