An advantage plan generally means your co-payments would be a lot less, compared to having original Medicare. That really is true. (I did a lot of research on this.) That's the whole idea of those plans - for people who are on too small an income to be able to afford supplementary insurance. Of course, as with anything, there is a trade off. An "Advantage" plan is an HMO that restricts your choice. At your income level, it's what you probably should have to avoid unsupportable debt.

Speaking of debt, you don't get put in jail for failure to pay hospital bills. Ask the hospital about their debt forgiveness plan for low income patients. Or just forgive yourself and don't worry about it. Ask yourself what you have to lose? What assets do you have that a court could take from you? Do you own a house? Income from Social Security can't be garnished to pay down medical bills. So look at where your income comes from. Wages can be attached. If you need more time to pay, just take it. What do you think the hospital can do to you?