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/publications to view or print “Choosing a

Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with

Medicare.”

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

to find and compare Medigap policies.

• 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 the following.

– 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 July 2018

“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 (like an HMO or PPO). 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 won’t cover the Part B 

Deductible. Plans C and F won’t be available to people new to 

Medicare. If you have one of these plans (or the high deductible 

version of Plan F), you can keep it. If you were eligible for 

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

buy one of these plans with the Part B Deductible coverage.

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. 

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 is also offered as a highdeductible plan by some issuers 

in some states. If you choose this 

option, this means you must pay for 

Medicare-covered costs (coinsurance, 

copayments, deductibles) up to the 

deductible amount of $2,240 in 2018 

before your policy pays anything.

** 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.

*** For Plans K and L, after you meet 

your out-of-pocket yearly limits and 

your yearly Part B deductible ($183 for 

2018), the Medigap plan pays 100% 

of covered services for the rest of the 

calendar year. 

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 (2018)*** 

$5,240 $2,620

 M e d i c a r e . g o v

1 - 8 0 0 - M E D I C A R E