Original Medicare

Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) offer a lot of coverage including health care services and some supplies, but they don’t cover everything. Medicare Supplement Insurance, also known as Medigap insurance, helps cover some of the additional expenses that an original Medicare policy may not. This additional coverage does not cancel or alter your current Medicare policy. It picks up some of the expenses that your original policy may not. You must be enrolled in Medicare Part A or Part B in order to qualify for Medigap insurance since it supports your original plan. It is not meant to be a separate policy as it only pays certain expenses that “Standard” Medicare does not cover.

We will showcase and explain each aspect of Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap).

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Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage Plans must cover all of the services that Original Medicare covers. However, if you’re in a Medicare Advantage Plan, Original Medicare will still cover the cost for hospice care, some new Medicare benefits, and some costs for clinical research studies. In all types of Medicare Advantage Plans, you’re always covered for emergency and urgently needed care.

The plan can choose not to cover the costs of services that aren’t medically necessary under Medicare. If you’re not sure whether a service is covered, check with your provider before you get the service.

Most Medicare Advantage Plans offer extra coverage, like vision, hearing, dental, and/or health and wellness programs. Most include Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D). In addition to your Part B premium, you usually pay a monthly premium for the Medicare Advantage Plan.

Medigap Insurance

A Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) policy, sold by private companies, can help pay some of the health care costs that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

Some Medigap policies also offer coverage for services that Original Medicare doesn’t cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs. Then your Medigap policy pays its share.

A Medigap policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap policy only supplements your Original Medicare benefits.

Medicare Part D (Prescription Coverage)

To get Medicare drug coverage, you must join a plan run by an insurance company or other private company approved by Medicare. Each plan can vary in cost and drugs covered.

2 ways to get drug coverage
1) Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C) or other Medicare health plan that offers Medicare prescription drug coverage. You get all of your Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B coverage, and prescription drug coverage (Part D), through these plans. Medicare Advantage Plans with prescription drug coverage are sometimes called “MA-PDs.” You must have Part A and Part B to join a Medicare Advantage Plan.

2) Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D). These plans (sometimes called “PDPs”) add drug coverage to Original Medicare, some Medicare Cost Plans, some Medicare Private Fee-for-Service (PFFS) Plans, and Medicare Medical Savings Account (MSA) Plans.

Medicare Part F

Medigap Plan F has also been the #1 seller with Baby Boomers for many years. According to a 2014 report from America’s Health Insurance professionals, about 56% of all Medigap policies in force were a Medicare Plan F policy.

The reason Medicare Plan F is so well-liked is that it will pay for ALL of the gaps in Original Medicare Part A and Part B, including both your hospital and outpatient deductible. It even pays the 20% that Medicare Part B does not cover.

This means zero out-of-pocket for you at the doctor’s office.

Dental Coverage

Original Medicare (Parts A and B) helps pay for “medically necessary” care. This means care that’s required to diagnose or treat an illness or condition.

Dental and vision care are not seen as medically necessary. Original Medicare doesn’t cover dental exams, eye exams, eyeglasses or other related services.

You have options if you have Medicare and want some help with the cost of dental and vision care. Many Medicare Advantage Plans cover dental expenses. Also certain Medigap Plans cover some aspects of dental coverage or you can simply purchase a separate dental insurance plan.

Medicare Supplement Rates

The world of Medicare Supplement Insurance is complicated, vast world.  It is as confusing as it is frustrating.  It does take hours if not days of study to fully understand, just that parts that are applicable to an individual’s situation.  Even then, you don’t know what you don’t know and could be missing something.

It is our recommendation that every senior not on Medicaid get a quote review from a professional, every year during Open Enrollment or if they have a qualifying life occurrence.  A complete Medicare Supplemental Insurance quote review will only take 15 minutes on the phone and you will have no pressure, simply presented with only the options that apply to you with a simple recommendation on the best plan.  You can get a free quote review from My Medicare Portal by calling 1-844-423-0957.

Medicare Supplement Insurance quotes can save you money, time and most importantly, frustration.  A quote should compare your total annual costs, not just your monthly premium.  This is an important consideration when looking at Medicare Advantage plans and Part D plans as these plans may be more dollars per month but reduce your total cost on the year.

Why Not Fill Out a Form?

The truth about any health insurance is that a simple online form will not accurately reflect your entire situation.  You need an expert that is deeply embedded in the world of Medicare Supplemental Insurance to know the right questions to ask at the right time.  An online form for simply will not provide an accurate enough look at your entire situation as it pertains to Medicare Supplemental Insurance.

What Should Your Quote Include?

It depends a little on your wants, needs and your exact situation.  But generally a Medicare Supplemental Quote should show you options for Parts A and B as standard, Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D (prescription drug coverage).  Also, you can request to see plan options for dental coverage (Part F) as well.

Will My HealthCare Provider Need to Change?

Most likely not.  While there will be differences in HMO or PPO type of plans, if you like your current Doctors, you can choose between only plans that include your doctors.  Insurance carriers are really expanding the number of doctors that are included in their plans and this is giving Medicare recipients much more flexibility with their plan choices.

15 minutes is all it takes to speak with a local professional is the deeply embedded in the Medicare options that affect you.  15 minutes on the phone could mean the difference in thousands of dollars in 2018.  Call My Medicare Portal now at 1-844-423-0957.