[greglepore]

It may vary from state to state, but here in Pa I can purchase a Medicare advantage PPO with decent drug coverage (at least until the doughnut hole) and 5 copay primary/40 specialist with a 250/day inpatient copay, good network, for NOTHING over my Part B premium. Minimal dental and vision coverage.

To answer fb's question, its open enrollment, so shop around. There are specialists that can help if needed. I agree he probably has an advantage plan now. The 3k/year your spending isn't all just for the drug coverage, you'd likely need a gap plan anyway, as Medicare only covers a substantial part of most bills. But there may well be cheaper Advantage plans.