Medigaps are supplemental health insurance policies that offer standardized benefits and work with Original Medicare. People who have Medicare Advantage plans cannot buy Medigaps. Medigaps pay part or all of certain cost-sharing gaps that remain after Original Medicare pays first. They can help cover remaining deductibles, coinsurance charges, and copayments, to varying degrees. Some Medigaps also cover health care costs that Medicare does not cover at all, like emergency care when traveling abroad. If you see providers that accept assignment (Medicare’s approved amount as full payment for items and services), you may not have few or no out-of-pocket expenses.  

The Medigap plans that are available for you to choose from depend on some specifics about you and where you live. There are 10 standardized plan types offered in most states — A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N (policies in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Minnesota have different names). Each plan type offers a different set of standardized benefits that range from basic to more comprehensive. Policies with the same letter name offer the same benefits. However, the premium that each company charges for the same Medigap plan will vary. 

The following is a list of costs covered by all Medigap plans: 

• Hospital coinsurance
• 365 additional days of full hospital coverage
• Full or partial coverage of the Part B coinsurance 
• Full or partial coverage of the first three pints of blood you need at the hospital 
• Hospice coinsurance for drugs and respite care 

Some Medigaps cover all or part of the following costs: 

• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance 
• Hospital deductible 
• Part B deductible (Note: People eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 cannot purchase Medigaps that pay for the Part B deductible.)   
• Emergency care outside the U.S. 
• Preventive care that Medicare does not cover 
• Excess physician’s charges (some Medigaps will pay the limiting charge, which is the amount above the Medicare-approved amount that non-participating doctors can charge). 

You should also know that enrollment rules for Medigaps differ from those for Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plans.  

To learn about Medigaps in your state and your options, you can contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) by calling 877-839-2675 or visiting www.shiphelp.org.    

I hope this helps!                                                                                                                               

-Marci