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. 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 carrier 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. 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 standardized 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%	50%

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	$5880	$2940	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%	50%
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 »

Source: Medicare.gov
*Plans F and G also offer a high-deductible plan in some states. With this option, you must pay for Medicare-covered costs (coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles) up to the deductible amount of $2,340 in 2020 ($2,370 in 2021) before your policy pays anything. (Plans C and F aren't available to people who were newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.)
**For Plans K and L, after you meet your out-of-pocket yearly limit and your yearly Part B deductible, the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year.
***Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 copayment for emergency room visits that don't result in inpatient admission.

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 pay for out-of-pocket costs like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles associated with your Medicare Part A and Part B services. Depending on the type of Medicare Supplement plan you choose it may also include coverage for medical expenses while traveling abroad, which is not included with Original Medicare alone.

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.

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.

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. If you are able to enroll, your application may be subject to medical underwriting which may increase your monthly plan premium.