You MUST BUY Part B. Read the long post at the bottom - if you do not buy Part B when you first enroll Medicare, you will be subject to a penalty when later you discover you need to buy Part B, as well as subject to a higher premium.
Government takes the Part B premium then transfer to the insurance company - if you choose the Advantage Plan, which is so-called Part C, it is the same premium to pay it.
You cannot buy Part C without first have Part B.
The distinction is, some Medicare Advantage Plans have ZERO premium - in other words, the Part B premium covers 100%, so you dont pay any more - such as Humana's Medicare Advantage Gold Plus in South Florida.
Some Medicare Advantage Plans still have their own premiums, such as the Kaiser Permente in California. In those cases, you will still need to pay the Medicare Advantage plan's premium, after the Part B is already deducted from your SS payment.
