Medicare 

Supplement 

Insurance

G E T T I N G S T A R T E D

An overview of Medicare 

Supplement Insurance 

(Medigap) policies

Remember these important facts

• You must have Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) 

and Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) to buy a 

Medigap policy.

• You pay the private insurance company a monthly 

premium for your Medigap policy in addition to the 

monthly Part B premium that you pay to Medicare. 

Contact the insurance company to find out how to pay 

your Medigap premium.

• A Medigap policy covers only one person. Spouses 

must buy separate policies.

• Although some Medigap policies sold in the past 

covered prescription drugs, Medigap policies sold 

after January 1, 2006, aren’t allowed to include such 

coverage. If you want prescription drug coverage, you 

can join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) 

offered by private companies approved by Medicare.

• It’s important to compare Medigap policies since the 

costs can vary and premiums may go up as you get 

older. Some states impose limits on how insurance 

companies “price” or set Medigap premiums.

• The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your 

Medigap Open Enrollment Period, when you have the 

right to buy any Medigap policy offered in your state. 

This 6-month period begins on the first day of the 

month in which you’re 65 or older and enrolled in 

Part B. Some states require Medigap insurance 

companies to sell Medigap policies to people under age 

65. Check with your State Insurance Department to 

learn about what rights you might have under state law.

Where can I get more information?

• Visit Medicare.gov/find-a-plan/questions/medigap-home.aspx

to find and compare Medigap policies.

• Visit Medicare.gov/publications to view or print “Choosing a 

Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with 

Medicare.”

• Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get help 

with Medicare and Medigap questions. TTY users can call 

1-877-486-2048.

• Call your State Insurance Department if you have questions 

about the Medigap policies sold in your area or any insurancerelated problems. Visit Medicare.gov/contacts, or call 

1-800-MEDICARE to get the phone number.

• Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) 

for help with any of these: 

– Buying a Medigap policy or long-term care insurance

– Dealing with payment denials or appeals

– Medicare rights and protections

– Choosing a Medicare plan

– Deciding whether to suspend your Medigap policy

– Questions about Medicare claims

Visit shiptacenter.org, or call 1-800-MEDICARE to get the phone 

number.

Paid for by the Department of Health & Human Services.

CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES CMS Product No. 11575

Revised June 2020

You have the right to get Medicare information in an accessible format, 

like large print, Braille, or audio. You also have the right to file a complaint 

if you feel you’ve been discriminated against. Visit https://www.medicare.

gov/about-us/nondiscrimination/accessibility-nondiscrimination.html 

Medicare.gov/about-us/accessibility-nondiscrimination-notice, or call 

1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for more information. TTY users 

can call 1-877-486-2048.

“Medicare Supplemental Insurance: Getting Started” isn’t a legal 

document. More details are available in the “Choosing a Medigap Policy: 

A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare” booklet and on 

Medicare.gov. Official Medicare Program legal guidance is contained in 

the relevant statutes, regulations, and rulings.

Information in this brochure was correct when printed. Visit 

Medicare.gov, or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) to get the 

most current information. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048.
Let’s get started

Original Medicare pays for many, but not all, health care services and supplies. Medicare Supplement Insurance 

policies, sold by private companies, can help pay your share 

of some of the health care costs that Original Medicare 

doesn’t cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles. 

Medicare Supplement Insurance policies are also called 

Medigap policies. 

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. You pay premiums 

for a Medigap policy.

A Medigap policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. 

Medicare Advantage Plans are ways to get your Medicare 

benefits, while a Medigap policy supplements your Original 

Medicare benefits. It’s generally illegal for an insurance 

company to sell a Medigap policy to anyone who’s still 

enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan. If you have Medigap 

and switch to enroll in a Medicare Advantage Plan for the first 

time, you have the right to change your mind and you’ll have 

special rights under federal law to buy a Medigap policy if you 

return to Original Medicare 12 months after you enrolled in 

the Medicare Advantage Plan.

What policies are available?

Every Medigap policy must follow federal and state laws designed to 

protect you, and the policy must be clearly identified as “Medicare 

Supplement Insurance.” Insurance companies can sell you only a 

“standardized” Medigap policy, identified in most states by letters A–N. 

In Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Medigap policies are 

standardized in a different way. For more information, visit Medicare.gov.

All standardized policies offer the same basic benefits, no matter which 

insurance company sells it, but some offer additional benefits so you can 

choose which one meets your needs.

Plans E, H, I, and J are no longer available to buy, but, if you already 

have one of those policies, you can generally keep it. Contact your 

insurance company for more information.

In some states, you may be able to buy another type of Medigap policy 

called Medicare SELECT. Medicare SELECT plans are standardized 

Medigap policies that require you to use specific hospitals and, in 

some cases, specific doctors or other health care providers to get full 

supplemental coverage (except in an emergency). If you have Medigap 

and switch to a Medicare SELECT policy, you have the right under 

federal law to change your mind within 12 months and switch to a 

standard Medigap policy.

Starting January 1, 2020, Medigap plans sold to people new to 

Medicare weren’t allowed to cover the Part B deductible. Because of 

this, Plans C and F are no longer available to people new to Medicare 

on or after January 1, 2020 (those who turned 65 on or after January 1, 

2020, and those who get Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) on or 

after January 1, 2020.) 

If you had one of these plans (or the high deductible version of Plan 

F) before January 1, 2020, you can keep it. If you were eligible for 

Medicare before January 1, 2020 but not yet enrolled, you may be able 

to buy Plan C or Plan F. 

What’s covered?

The chart below shows basic information about the different benefits that Medigap policies cover. If a 

percentage appears, the Medigap plan covers that percentage of the benefit and you’re responsible to 

pay the rest. Visit Medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/how-to-compare-medigap-policies to 

view this information online.

Standardized Medigap policies aren’t required to cover long-term 

care (like care in a nursing home), vision or dental care, hearing 

aids, eyeglasses, and private-duty nursing.

* Plan F also offers a high-deductible 

plan in some states. With this option, 

you must pay for Medicare-covered 

costs (coinsurance, copayments, and 

deductibles) up to the deductible amount 

of $2,340 in 2020 before your policy 

pays anything. (Plans C and F won’t be 

available to people who are newly eligible 

for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. 

**For Plans K and L, after you meet 

your out-of-pocket yearly limit and your 

yearly Part B deductible ($198 in 2020), 

the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered 

services for the rest of the calendar year. 

*** Plan N pays 100% of the Part B 

coinsurance, except for a copayment of up 

to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 

copayment for emergency room visits that 

don’t result in an inpatient admission. 

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans (Medigap)

Benefits A B C D F* G K L M N

Part A coinsurance and 

hospital costs (up to an 

additional 365 days after 

Medicare benefits are used)

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Part B coinsurance or 

copayment 

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 75% 100% 100%* *

Blood (first 3 pints) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 75% 100% 100%

Part A hospice care 

coinsurance or copayment 

100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 75% 100% 100%

Skilled nursing facility care 

coinsurance 

100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 75% 100% 100%

Part A deductible 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 75% 50% 100%

Part B deductible 100% 100%

Part B excess charges 100% 100%

Foreign travel emergency (up 

to plan limits)

80% 80% 80% 80% 80% 80%

Out-of-pocket 

limit (2020)*** 

$5,880 $2,940

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