Medigap policies are a form of Medicare supplemental insurance sold by commercial companies. You can choose 1 of 10 standardized plans A-N (plans E, H, I and J were eliminated due to some changes in Federal law) that pay for part or all of Medicare’s coinsurance and deductibles. Some plans also cover health care costs that Medicare doesn’t cover, such as emergency medical care in foreign countries, and excess charges from a provider who does not accept assignment. In addition, plans F and G offer a high-deductible option.
Medigap policies also do not restrict you to a network of providers and facilities, like some Medicare Advantage (MA) plans do. If you have a Medigap policy, you can see any doctor or use any hospital that accepts Medicare.
If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, a retiree plan, or have full Medi-Cal or are enrolled in a Medicare Savings Program, you do not need a Medigap policy. And if you do have full Medi-Cal or are enrolled in an MSP, it is illegal for agents to try to sell you a Medigap. Medigap benefits only work with Original Medicare. But, you may have a right to a Medigap if you are changing from one of these forms of health care coverage.
Note: If your 65th birthday occurs in 2020 or later, or you first become eligible for Medicare in 2020, you will not be able to buy Medigap plans C or F. Congress prohibits the sale of those policies to people who will be newly eligible for Medicare. Instead, you can buy Medigap plans D or G, or the new high deductible Medigap plan G. If you purchased either plan C or F before 2020, you can keep it, and anyone who was eligible for Medicare prior to 2020 can still buy either of these plans from a company that still sells them.
More info: FAQs on the New Standardized Medigap Policies Available June 2010
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