Medicare Supplement

Medicare Supplement Insurance (also known as Medigap) is private health insurance that “supplements” Original Medicare.  Medicare covers quite a bit but does not cover all of the costs.  With Medicare you will have deductibles, co-insurance, & co-payments.  Also, there is no maximum-out-of-pocket.  This is why you purchase a Medicare Supplement policy through a private insurance company.  This is when the Medicare Supplement policy kicks in and can pay for deductibles and the co-insurance.  A Medicare Supplement plan is different than a Medicare Advantage plan as those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits while the Medicare supplement plan pays secondary to the Original Medicare coverage.

Medicare Supplement plans follow federal and state laws and must be clearly stated as “Medicare Supplement Insurance”.  In most states Medicare Supplement companies can only sell “standardized” termed by the letters A through N.  What this means is the same basic benefits must be offered by all companies.  

Medicare Supplement plans do not offer Medicare Part D drug coverage so you will want to consider that in addition to the gap plan.