Medigap Policy or Medicare Supplemental Plan

If you have Medicare or are approaching the age of Medicare eligibility, you have probably already heard about Medicare supplement plans, but do you know what they are and what they cover?

A plan of Medicare Supplementalalso known as a Medigap PolicyMedicare Supplement Insurance, is an insurance policy sold by private companies that help supplement Original Medicare Parts A and B. A Medicare supplement plan may help pay some of the remaining health care costs that Original Medicare does not cover. does not pay for your covered services or supplies such as co-payments, insurance and deductibles.

In general, Original Medicare pays only the 80% of covered medical services and supplies, leaving you with a 20% difference that you must pay as your insurance. However, if you have Original Medicare and a Medicare Supplement plan, Original Medicare will pay its share of Medicare-approved amounts for health care costs and Medicare Supplement will pay its share, reducing the total cost and thus protecting your budget and savings.

Medicare supplement plans are titled by letters: Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so on. And while there are a wide variety of plans to choose from, all Medicare supplement plans must comply with the same federal and state laws designed to protect you, and policies must clearly specify supplemental insurance.

Each standardized Medicare Supplement plan must offer the same basic benefits, regardless of which insurance company sells them. Cost is usually the only difference between Medicare Supplement plans that have the same letter and are sold by different companies. Now, if you want to buy a Medicare Supplement policy, there are some important notes to keep in mind.

First, to purchase a Medicare supplement plan you must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B. You will pay the private insurance company a premium for your supplement plan in addition to the monthly Part B premium you pay to Medicare. You will pay the private insurance company a premium for your supplemental plan in addition to the monthly Part B premium you pay to Medicare.

A Medicare Supplement plan only covers one person, so if you and your spouse want one of these plans, you will have to buy two separate policies. However, there are companies that offer a family discount if this is the case.

The best time to purchase a Medigap policy is during the Medicare Open Enrollment PeriodThe Medicare Part B enrollment period, which usually begins the first day you are enrolled in Medicare Part B and lasts for six months. During this time, no insurance company can deny you coverage or charge you more for health problems.

For information on Medicare supplement plans, what they do and don't cover, we recommend that you review the guide to choosing a Medicare policy that can be downloaded from the Medicare website. In addition, you can view our detailed videos covering each of the different Medicare Supplement plans.

Our local number is 512-520-5957 or you can call us on our toll free number which is 855-GO-AVILA. We are here to serve you.