Medicare Supplement Insurance: Available Plans And Benefits

Suppose you have Medicare insurance coverage. In that case, you are aware of the healthcare costs your policy covers. The important thing to note is Medicare provides coverage for some, but not all, medical expenses. Fortunately, you can use medical supplement insurance (Medigap) to cover anything excluded by Medicare, including copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. That means this insurance policy steps in after Medicare has made payments and then pays all or a part of the remaining costs. Some of the plans included in Medicare supplement insurance and their benefits are outlined below.

Popular Medicare supplement plans

There are many Medicare supplement insurance plans, including:

1.      Plan A

Medicare insurance requires their carriers to have Plan A supplement coverage, the most basic plan. This policy covers four vital things, the first being Medicare Part A coinsurance payments associated with inpatient care, but only after Medicare benefits have been depleted. It also caters to expenses arising from Medicare Part B coinsurance or copayment, the first three blood pints used in medical procedures, and Part A hospice care coinsurance expenses and copayments.

2.      Plan B

Medicare supplement Plan B covers most of the benefits in Plan A, i.e., Part A coinsurance and hospital costs, Part B copayment and coinsurance, Part A hospice care copayment or coinsurance, and the first three transfused blood pints. However, this policy comes with one distinct additional benefit: Part A deductible. This deductible refers to payments made before Medicare pays its shares. Note that Part A deductible isn't a yearly affair. On the contrary, it applies to every benefit period. Moreover, this deductible for an inpatient hospital stay in 2022 is $1,556.

Benefits of Medicare Supplement Insurance

Medicare supplement insurance is associated with the following benefits:

1.       Cover for out-of-pocket expenses

Getting Medicare insurance coverage comes with considerable out-of-pocket expenses, which may amount to thousands of dollars each year. These include deductibles, premiums, coinsurance, and copayments. But you can avoid most of these and save a considerable chunk by signing up for Medicare supplement insurance. This policy is provided by private insurers and is essential in filling gaps after Medicare has met its end of the bargain. Medigap plans cover outstanding coinsurance, copayments, deductibles, and healthcare costs not covered by Medicare, like expenses for treatment received while traveling abroad.

2.       Easy to compare plans

Comparing Medicare supplement plans is relatively easy. For instance, the difference between Plan A and Plan B is that the latter includes Part A deductible on top of the benefits offered by the former. On the other hand, Plan C has Part B deductible, which is not available in Plan A and Plan B. Finally, Plan F has everything Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D cover as well as an additional Part B excess charge and foreign travel exchange.

If you have additional questions about Medicare supplement plans, contact a provider near you.