Medical Expense✓ Verified · outline & fact-checked · Sep 2026Difficulty 3/5
A beneficiary enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan enrolls in a stand-alone Part D prescription drug plan (PDP). What happens?
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
If a beneficiary in a Medicare Advantage plan (which generally includes drug coverage through a MAPD, or has none) enrolls in a stand-alone PDP, the law automatically disenrolls them from the MA plan — a person cannot hold MA and a standalone PDP simultaneously. This is a specific Part C exam rule. The beneficiary would return to Original Medicare with the PDP.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Dual enrollment in an MA plan and a stand-alone PDP is not permitted; enrolling in the PDP triggers automatic MA disenrollment.
- C) The process is automatic disenrollment from the MA plan back to Original Medicare, not a conversion of the plan itself.
- D) No fine applies; the enrollment in the PDP simply ends the MA coverage as a matter of law.
Memory hook
MA + standalone PDP = forbidden combo. Sign up for the drug plan, and the MA plan drops you automatically.