8 Facts About Medicare Supplements You Need To Know

NEW YORK - Aug. 27, 2024 - PRLog -- 1. Insurance Companies That Sell Medigap Policies Must Offer Medigap Plan A

The reason that Medigap Plan A must be offered before other plans is because Plan A is the most standardized Medigap plan and covers the most important gaps in original Medicare.

The fact that laws dictate that Plan A must be offered also explains why it's the most commonly bought Medicare plan. Medigap Plan A is also not the same as Medicare Part A. Yes, they sound similar but Plan A is a supplement that helps pay copays, hospital costs and even blood transfusion costs. Part A is hospital insurance.

To sell other Medicare supplement policies, insurers must also offer either Plan C or Plan F (see more on these below) to people who were eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, but haven't enrolled yet. They are allowed to offer Plan D or G, instead of Plan C or F, to Medicare recipients who enrolled on or after January 1, 2020.[4]

2. Medigap Plans Sold to New Medicare Recipients Do Not Cover the Part B Deductible

While Medigap or Medicare supplements cannot pay for the Part B deductible, they can cover other costs like copays and coinsurance. They can also buy more time if you're hospitalized or need to stay at a skilled-nursing facility after you reach the limit set by Medicare.

Plan C used to cover the Part A deductible in full until January 1, 2020, when it stopped being sold. If you had the plan prior to 2020, you can keep it. Some people have been grandfathered in. Here's more on Part C below.

3. Plan C & Plan F Aren't Offered to Those Who Turned 65 on or after January 1, 2020

This also holds true for some Medicare recipients under age 65. Now, don't confuse Medicare Plan C with Medicare Advantage, which is wholly different and yet a very good option to consider in place of the original Medicare plan you may have initially signed up for when you turned 65.

If you were eligible for Medicare prior to January 1, 2020 and have a Medigap Plan C, you may want to consider keeping it. It is the only supplement that covers the deductibles for both Parts A and B.[7]

Let's delve deeper by going over Medicare Plan C vs Part C.
For the full article, visit https://smartfinancial.com/facts-about-medicare-supplements