Is your Medicare Advantage plan ending next year? Here's what to know

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s central concern?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The superiority of traditional Medicare over private insurance
   2. The impending reduction of Medicare Advantage choices
   3. The expansion of prescription benefits nationwide
   4. The causes of rising premiums in metropolitan areas
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The impending reduction of Medicare Advantage choices

   It emphasizes shrinking plan availability and the decisions beneficiaries must make.

   A large number of Medicare Advantage plans are scheduled to disappear next year, leaving many older Americans with fewer choices for their health coverage.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “The affected areas” refer to?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Counties with no Medicare Advantage plans
   2. All metropolitan regions nationwide
   3. Areas with unusually high premiums
   4. Counties relying exclusively on traditional Medicare
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Counties with no Medicare Advantage plans

   The phrase points back to counties losing Medicare Advantage offerings.

   The affected areas are mostly rural, although some large metropolitan regions are also losing options.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention combined coverage elements?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To demonstrate that every plan offers identical protection
   2. To explain one source of the arrangement’s appeal
   3. To show why federal administration is expanding
   4. To establish that prescription coverage is optional
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain one source of the arrangement’s appeal

   It explains why beneficiaries may find Medicare Advantage convenient despite limitations.

   Combining several elements of coverage can make enrollment simpler, although the specific benefits and restrictions depend on the plan.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article establish between profitability and coverage?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Profitability can determine whether plans remain available
   2. Coverage becomes broader when markets lose revenue
   3. Federal officials require insurers to preserve every plan
   4. Beneficiaries directly control insurers’ market decisions
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Profitability can determine whether plans remain available

   Commercial viability determines whether insurers remain in particular markets.

   If a market no longer appears profitable, a company can withdraw from it, potentially forcing beneficiaries to reassess their coverage.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why are several estimates given for the number affected?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. The article rejects all available research
   2. The disruption is still being measured through differing sources
   3. The number changes because beneficiaries frequently move
   4. The estimates refer exclusively to rural counties
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   The disruption is still being measured through differing sources

   The contrasting figures underscore uncertainty surrounding the disruption’s magnitude.

   The scale of the disruption is difficult to express with a single figure because estimates differ.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What contrast structures the third paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Convenience is presented alongside plan-specific limitations
   2. Traditional Medicare is contrasted with federal regulation
   3. Rural access is compared with metropolitan population growth
   4. Enrollment dates are contrasted with historical estimates
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Convenience is presented alongside plan-specific limitations

   It balances attractive features against variability in plan terms.

   Combining several elements of coverage can make enrollment simpler, although the specific benefits and restrictions depend on the plan.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does the final paragraph imply about choosing a replacement plan?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A nationally uniform replacement is readily available
   2. Personal circumstances and location should guide comparison
   3. Traditional Medicare automatically preserves every benefit
   4. Doctors determine which private plans beneficiaries receive
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Personal circumstances and location should guide comparison

   Local variation means beneficiaries cannot assume one alternative suits every county.

   The range of options may vary sharply from one county to another, making a careful comparison especially important for people who rely on particular doctors, prescription coverage, or supplementary benefits.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article’s practical purpose?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To encourage immediate enrollment without comparison
   2. To explain the issue and advise affected beneficiaries
   3. To criticize all private insurers’ business practices
   4. To predict the next decade of federal healthcare policy
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain the issue and advise affected beneficiaries

   It alerts affected readers and directs them toward timely comparison.

   Beneficiaries whose plans are ending should examine the alternatives available in their area, including other private plans and traditional Medicare.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.