Yes, a veteran can hold Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time. Medicare Advantage plans for veterans sit alongside VA care, but the two generally do not pay for the same service, so you pick which benefit to use for each visit. This guide draws on Medicare's coordination page and the VA's guide for veterans turning 65.
If you also have TRICARE For Life and are not on active duty, Medicare pays first for Medicare-covered services and TRICARE may pay second.
Compare Medicare Advantage for Veterans
| Company | Pricing | Best for | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
FeaturedYour company here, pinned above every listingGet featured → | |||
| Humana | $0 premiums on some plans; amounts by ZIP code | Veterans wanting plans built to complement VA care | Humana's veterans page says its Medicare Advantage plans complement VA coverage, and its Honor plans include a Part B giveback and $0 mental health copays. |
| UnitedHealthcare | Not published | TRICARE For Life retirees skipping drug coverage | UnitedHealthcare's veterans page points TRICARE For Life retirees to a no-drug-coverage plan and VA users to plans with drug coverage. |
| Aetna | $0 monthly plan premiums on some plans | Veterans combining VA benefits with Aetna plans | Aetna's veterans page says VA benefits can be used alongside its plans and that, with TRICARE For Life, Aetna becomes primary and TRICARE secondary. |
| Kaiser Permanente | Not published | Veterans in Kaiser regions wanting integrated care | Kaiser Permanente's veterans page says members keep full VA benefits and that its care team coordinates with their VA providers. |
| Wellcare | Not published | Veterans comparing Medicare Advantage extras beyond VA | Wellcare's resource page says Medicare and VA coverage can be held together and that veterans choose which benefit to use for each visit. |
| Clover Health | Not published | Veterans with VA or TRICARE drug coverage | Clover Health's blog says Medicare Advantage can work alongside VA benefits and describes a no-drug-coverage option for people with VA or TRICARE prescriptions. |
| GoHealth | Not published | Comparing Medicare Advantage through licensed agents | GoHealth is an insurance marketplace whose licensed agents help consumers enroll in Medicare Advantage and drug plans at no charge. |
| The Medicare Site | Not published | Free consultation with local licensed agents | The Medicare Site is an Arizona insurance agency selling Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and drug plans from the carriers it is contracted with. |
| MedicareYourself | Many plans start at $0 monthly | Independent broker quotes in New Jersey | MedicareYourself is an independent brokerage appointed with multiple carriers that sells Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans. |
| VitalShield Insurance Services | Quote-based | Minnesota Medicare help from local agents | VitalShield is a Minnesota insurance agency selling Medicare, health, life, and dental plans from a network of carriers. |
| MySeniorHealthPlan | Not published | Comparing Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans | MySeniorHealthPlan is an insurance agency whose licensed agents sell Medicare Advantage, drug, and Medigap plans from several carriers. |
| Accurate Health Plans | Quote-based | Independent agency quotes across several carriers | Accurate Health Plans is an independent insurance agency selling Medicare Advantage, Supplement, and drug plans plus health, dental, and life coverage. |
| The Medicare Authority | Quote-based | Family-run agency help with Medicare options | The Medicare Authority is a family-owned agency helping people enroll in Medicare Advantage, Medigap, and Part D plans at no charge. |
Pricing is as each company publishes it. Confirm current terms before you sign up. Listed here? Update your listing.
Each insurer in the comparison table that sells its own plans publishes either a veterans page or text explaining how its Medicare Advantage plans coordinate with VA benefits. The table also lists licensed insurance agencies, which sell plans from the carriers they are contracted with. Most of those veterans pages do not publish a premium. Plan premiums and availability depend on where you live, so the table shows "Not published" in the premium column.
The veterans pages differ in what they stress. One says members keep their full VA benefits. Another says that for TRICARE For Life members, the Medicare Advantage plan becomes primary and TRICARE becomes secondary.
A third points TRICARE For Life retirees to a plan with no drug coverage. It points veterans who use VA drug coverage to plans that include drug coverage. Each time you get care, you choose which benefit to use.
The VA states that a Medicare Advantage plan will not pay for care you receive at a VA health facility. The VA also will not bill Medicare or TRICARE For Life for that care. Keeping the plan has a standing cost. The VA states that to keep Medicare Advantage, you must pay the plan premium and the Medicare Part B premium, even if most of your care comes from the VA.
If nearly all your visits happen at VA facilities, you pay two premiums for a plan that will not cover those visits. Our VA health care guide covers the VA side of this decision.
Medicare Advantage and TRICARE For Life
When you are not on active duty, Medicare pays first for Medicare-covered services and TRICARE may pay second. The VA states that TRICARE For Life covers deductibles, copays and non-VA care costs that Medicare alone does not cover.
You do not file a separate application for TRICARE For Life. The VA states that enrolling in Medicare Part A and Part B starts TRICARE For Life automatically.
One insurer in the comparison table states that with TRICARE For Life, its Medicare Advantage plan becomes primary and TRICARE becomes secondary. The VA facility rule still holds in that setup. The plan will not pay for VA facility care, and the VA will not bill TRICARE For Life for it.
If you are a retiree weighing a supplement against a Medicare Advantage plan, our guide to TRICARE supplement plans covers the supplement side of that choice.
Drug Coverage and Overlap
According to Medicare, you cannot use VA drug coverage and Medicare drug coverage for the same drug at the same time. Each prescription runs through one benefit or the other.
One insurer in the table splits its advice by group. It points TRICARE For Life retirees to a plan with no drug coverage. It points veterans who use VA drug coverage to plans that include drug coverage.
Before you compare plans, list your current prescriptions and where you fill each one. If you fill every prescription through the VA, a plan's drug coverage gives you a second option that you cannot stack on the same drug.
How to Choose Among Medicare Advantage Plans for Veterans
Five questions sort the choice.
- Where do you get most of your care? A Medicare Advantage plan never pays for a visit at a VA health facility.
- Can you carry two premiums? You owe the plan premium and the Part B premium even if most of your care comes from the VA.
- Do you have TRICARE For Life? Medicare pays first for Medicare-covered services and TRICARE may pay second, and one insurer states its plan becomes primary with TRICARE secondary.
- Where do you fill prescriptions? VA and Medicare drug coverage cannot both pay for the same drug at the same time.
- Is the plan offered where you live? Availability and premiums depend on location, and most veterans pages in the table do not publish a premium.
Every insurer in the comparison table that sells its own plans publishes that kind of page or text.
Who Should Skip a Medicare Advantage Plan
Consider a veteran who gets all care at VA facilities. The plan will not pay for VA facility care, yet you still owe the plan premium and the Part B premium. Start with our VA health care guide and the wider VA benefits hub instead.
If you have TRICARE For Life, it already covers deductibles, copays and non-VA care costs that Medicare alone does not cover, according to the VA. Weigh that coverage against any plan premium before you add Medicare Advantage.
What Would Change This Answer
This guidance rests on three published rules.
- Medicare and the VA generally cannot pay for the same item or service.
- A Medicare Advantage plan will not pay for care at a VA health facility.
- You pay the plan premium and the Part B premium even if you mainly use VA care.
If Medicare or the VA changes any of those rules, the cost of holding both benefits changes, and so does our answer. If the plan premium at your address were zero, the standing cost of the plan would fall to the Part B premium alone.
Before You Enroll
Work through these steps in order.
- Read the VA's guide for veterans turning 65, which covers VA health care, Medicare and TRICARE For Life together.
- Read Medicare's page on who pays first to see how Medicare coordinates with VA and TRICARE coverage.
- List where you got care and filled prescriptions over the past year, splitting VA facilities from everywhere else.
- Use the comparison table to shortlist insurers that explain VA coordination, then get the plan premium for your address, since most veterans pages do not publish one.
- Add the plan premium to your Part B premium and compare the total against the care you expect to get outside VA facilities.
Start with the comparison table above and shortlist two or three Medicare Advantage plans for veterans whose pages explain how they work with VA benefits.
This page gives general information and is not legal, insurance or financial advice. Verify your own benefits with the VA or your finance office.