Medicare Supplement Plans and Other Medicare Plans

If you're a Medicare-eligible individual, you may have questions about what Medicare covers and what Medicare doesn’t cover - also known as the "gaps." This is where Medicare Supplement Plans and other Medicare Plans come into play to help fill in the gaps and provide extra coverage.

Original Medicare is Part A (pays 80% of hospital expenses) and Part B (pays 80% of medical expenses). You have two options if you want more coverage than Medicare Part A and Part B provide- such as coverage for the other 20% co-insurance and Medicare deductibles. You can choose a Medicare Supplement "Medigap" insurance Plan OR a Medicare Advantage Plan, also known as "Part C."

This video compares Medicare Supplement Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans and should help you decide which one is right for you. Watch now!

Medicare Supplement insurance Plans, also known as Medigap Plans, pay for some healthcare costs that Original Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B do not cover. All Medicare Supplement Plans must follow Federal and State laws designed to protect you, and the policy must be identified as “Medicare Supplement Insurance.”

In most states, insurance companies that offer Medicare Supplement Plans can only sell you a “standardized” Medicare Supplement policy. Plans are identified by letters A-N. Each standardized Medicare Supplement Plan must provide the same basic benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it. Cost is usually the only difference between Medicare Supplement Plans when comparing the same letter Plan- like Plan G, among many insurance companies.

Medicare Supplement Plans offer fixed costs and no surprises. They are guaranteed renewable for life—as long as premiums are paid. Plus, you can keep your doctor!

* NEW! Starting January 1, 2020, Medicare Supplement Plans sold to people who are new to Medicare won’t be allowed to cover the Part B deductible. Because of this, Plans C and F won’t be available to newly eligible people for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you already have either of these Plans (or the high deductible version of Plan F) or are covered by one before January 1, 2020, you can keep your Plan. If you were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but are not yet enrolled, you may be able to buy Plan F or Plan C.

2024_Medicare_and_You Official Handbook

More on Medicare Supplement "Medigap" Insurance Plans

Medigap is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill gaps in Original Medicare coverage.
Medigap helps pay all, or a portion, of Part A and Part B coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles when Original Medicare determines that a benefit is medically necessary.
Some Medigap Plans also cover benefits not covered by Original Medicare.
Medigap policies are available in standardized benefit Plans, identified by the letters A – N. (Different Plans are offered in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.)
Turning 65 and signing up for Medicare Part B triggers a six-month Medigap open enrollment period when Medigap Plans must be issued, regardless of pre-existing conditions.
In limited circumstances, leaving a Medicare Advantage Plan (MA) will trigger a guarantee issue opportunity, and some states have guarantee issue for Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65.

As an independent Medicare Supplement & Medicare Advantage insurance agency, we work with many of the leading insurance companies in your state to find you the Plan that fits your needs and budget. This saves you time and money.

You pay the same rate for your supplemental Plan using an independent agency like ours that you would pay to go with the carrier directly... and our service as your agent is free to you.

We look out for your interest in the first year and each year after that!

Click the button below and enter your information to get the best Medicare Supplement rate for any Plan in your area. For example, Plan G and Plan N! (We don't sell or give your information to anyone, only Lifelong Insurance and Chad will respond.)

A Medicare Advantage "Part C" Plan (MA) is a type of Medicare health Plan offered by private insurance companies that contract with Medicare to provide you with your 80% Part A and B benefits instead of the Government (Original Medicare) providing them. This is not Medicare Supplement "Medigap" insurance but an alternate way to get your 80% Medicare coverage.

Medicare Advantage Plans include Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO), Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS), Special Needs (SNP), and Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plans. Sheesh!

If you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Medicare services are covered through the Plan and aren't paid for under Original Medicare. If enrolled, you leave the protection of Original Medicare and agree to get your Part A and Part B benefits directly from the Medicare Advantage Plan instead of from Original Medicare.

If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan (MA), you always have the option to return to Original Medicare and can do so during the Annual Enrollment Period. We will help you with this! You can change your coverage every year between October 15 through December 7.

During the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period, you can join a MA Plan, leave a MA Plan, change your Part D Rx Plan, or return to Original Medicare.

Medicare Advantage Plans provide a maximum out-of-pocket per year, up to $8300 in 2023, depending on the Plan. This max out-of-pocket includes co-payments and co-insurance that you're responsible for under the Plan.

If you don't have a MA Plan, for example, you have Part A and Part B... and no Medicare Supplement Plan; there is no max to the 20% co-insurance you could pay in a given year.

Please click the link below to learn more about Medicare Advantage "Part C" Plans.

14 things to know about Medicare Advantage Plans

** January 1 to March 31, annually

Suppose you're in a Medicare Advantage Plan. In that case, you can change to a different Medicare Advantage Plan or switch back to Original Medicare (and join a stand-alone Medicare "Part D" Prescription Drug Plan) once during this time. Any changes you make will be effective the first of the month after the Plan gets your request.