Medicare Supplement

How do Medicare Supplement Plans work?

Medicare Supplement Plans are designed to help fill the insurance gaps in your Part A and Part B Original Medicare coverage and some plans may also offer additional benefits not offered by your Original Medicare Coverage. When you enroll in a Medigap plan you’ll choose from one of the 10 types available and you’ll pay a Medigap premium in addition to your Original Medicare premium. Your Medigap Provider will then, depending on the benefits offered by your chosen plan, help cover your out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

What do Medicare Supplement plans cover?

Medicare Supplement Plans help cover out-of-pocket costs for Original Medicare Parts A and B, and may also offer coverage for benefits not offered by Original Medicare. Benefits offered vary between plan types. Insurers can offer up to ten types of plans, which are labeled A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, N, but they do not have to offer all ten different plan options. The benefits offered between the plan types vary, so for example Plan B offers different coverage than plan G. However, the plans are regulated so that each plan type of the same letter must offer the same coverage. This means that a Plan type A offered by one insurer will provide the same benefits as a Plan type A from another insurer making it easy to compare plans from different carriers.

The Medicare Supplement comparison chart below shows how coverage varies between plans:

Medigap Benefits

Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N

Part B coinsurance or copayment

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
	50%	75%		***

Blood (first 3 pints)

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
	50%	75%

Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
	50%	75%

Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
	50%	75%

Part A deductible

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
	50%	75%	75%

Part B deductible

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N

Part B excess charges

A	B	C	D	F*
G	K	L	M	N
				N/A

Foreign travel exchange (up to plan limits)

A	B	C	D	F*
		80%	80%	80%
G	K	L	M	N
80%			80%	80%

Out-of-pocket limit**

A	B	C	D	F*
N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
G	K	L	M	N
N/A	$4940	$2470	N/A	N/A

Medigap Benefits	A	B	C	D	F*	G	K	L	M	N
Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up
Part B coinsurance or copayment							50%	75%		***
Blood (first 3 pints)							50%	75%
Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment							50%	75%
Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance							50%	75%
Part A deductible							50%	75%	75%
Part B deductible
Part B excess charges										N/A
Foreign travel exchange (up to plan limits)			80%	80%	80%	80%			80%	80%
Out-of-pocket limit**	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$4940	$2470	N/A	N/A

View full chart »

If you are a resident of Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin your plan options are standardized differently.

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Why choose a Medicare Supplement Plan?

Adding Medicare Supplement coverage to your Original Medicare helps reduce your out-of-pocket costs. By helping you pay your copays, deductibles and coinsurance payments it gives you more comprehensive coverage. Depending on the type of Medicare Supplement plan you choose it may also add additional benefits not offered by your Original Medicare coverage such as coverage for medical expenses while travelling abroad.

Who’s eligible for a Medicare Supplement Plan?

To be eligible for a Medigap policy you must be enrolled in both Part A and Part B of Original Medicare and not be planning to stay enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. You can apply for a Medigap Plan while you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan as long as you are leaving that plan and returning to Original Medicare coverage.

When can I enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan?

Medigap Open Enrollment Period

You can first enroll in a Medicare Supplement Plan during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period (OEP). Your Medigap OEP lasts for 6 months and starts the first day of the month of your 65th birthday and are enrolled in Medicare Part B. Your Medigap OEP provides you with 3 very important benefits:

1. You are guaranteed enrollment in the Medigap plan of your choice (as long as it is available in your area).
2. You cannot be charged more because you have pre-existing conditions.
3. Your coverage starts immediately (you may have to wait for 6 months for coverage for a pre-existing condition but expenses other than out-of-pocket costs will still be covered by Original Medicare).

If you miss your Medigap Open Enrollment Period

If you wait to enroll and miss your Open Enrollment Period you might not be able to enroll in a Medigap Plan. Insurers may require you to undergo a physical exam and may increase your premium if you are considered a higher risk due to your health.