Medicare Supplement Plans

Learn about reducing out of pocket costs

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Medicare doesn’t cover all of your health care costs.

You could be responsible for paying deductibles and coinsurance for inpatient hospital care and doctor’s visits.

If your doctor doesn’t accept Medicare assignment, you could be responsible for paying excess charges.

Certain health insurance plans limit you to a network of doctors and hospitals.

Medicare Supplement Insurance can help.

With a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan, you have protection against some, but not all, of the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare leaves behind, and you’re never limited to a specific network of providers.

With this coverage, you can choose a plan with benefits at a cost you can afford.

What's MedicareSupplement Insurance (Medigap)?

Medigap is Medicare Supplement Insurance that helps fill "gaps" in Original Medicare and is sold by private companies. Original Medicare pays for much, but not all, of the cost for covered health care services and supplies. A Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy can help pay some of the remaining health care costs, like:

  • Copayments

  • Coinsurance

  • Deductibles

Note

As of January 1, 2020, Medigap plans sold to new people with Medicare aren't allowed to cover the Part B deductible. Because of this, Plans C and F are not available to people new to Medicare starting on January 1, 2020. If you already have either of these 2 plans (or the high deductible version of Plan F) or are covered by one of these plans before January 1, 2020, you’ll be able to keep your plan. If you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but not yet enrolled, you may be able to buy one of these plans.

Some Medigap policies also cover services that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, here's what happens:

  • Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs.

  • Then, your Medigap policy pays its share.

8 things to know about Medigap policies 

  1. You must have Medicare Part A and Part B.

  2. A Medigap policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan.  Those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap policy only supplements your Original Medicare benefits.

  3. You pay the private insurance company a monthly premium for your Medigap policy. You pay this monthly premium in addition to the monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare.

  4. A Medigap policy only covers one person. If you and your spouse both want Medigap coverage, you'll each have to buy separate policies.

  5. You can buy a Medigap policy from any insurance company that's licensed in your state to sell one.

  6. Any standardized Medigap policy is guaranteed renewable even if you have health problems. This means the insurance company can't cancel your Medigap policy as long as you pay the premium.

  7. Some Medigap policies sold in the past cover prescription drugs. But, Medigap policies sold after January 1, 2006 aren't allowed to include prescription drug coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you can join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D).

  8. It's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, unless you're switching back to Original Medicare.

Medigap policies don't cover everything

Medigap policies generally don't cover long-term care, vision or dental care, hearing aids, eyeglasses, or private-duty nursing.

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