WHAT IS A MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT INSURANCE POLICY?

A Medicare Supplement policy (also known as “Medigap”) is health insurance sold by private insurance companies to fill the “gaps” in Original Medicare Plan coverage. Medigap policies help pay some of the health care expenses that the Original Medicare Plan doesn’t cover. If you are in the Original Medicare Plan and have a Medigap policy, then Medicare and your Medigap policy will both pay their shares of covered health care cost.

Insurance companies can only sell you a standardized Medigap policy. Medigap policies are required to have specific benefits, making them easy to compare.

You can choose from 12 different standardized Medigap policies (Medigap Plans A through L.) Medigap policies must follow Federal and State laws. These laws are there to protect you. A Medigap policy must be clearly identified on the cover as “Medicare Supplement Insurance.” Each plan, A through L, has a different set of basic and extra benefits.
Though the Medigap plan benefits and coverages will be consistent from one insurance company to the next, it is important to compare Medigap policies because cost can vary.

WHY CONSIDER CHANGING YOUR MEDICARE SUPPLEMENT POLICY?

WHAT IS A MEDICARE ADVANTAGE PLAN?

Medicare Advantage Plans are health plan options (like HMO’s and PPO’s) approved by Medicare and run by private companies. These plans are part of the Medicare Program and are referred to as, “Part C” or “MA plans”. Medicare pays the private insurance company to manage and pay an insured’s medical claims on their behalf. All private Medicare Advantage Plans must cover at least the same medically-necessary services as covered by Original Medicare. However, Medicare Advantage Plans do not have to match the coverage of a Medicare Supplement. Advantage Plans can charge co-pays, coinsurance, and deductibles for medical services.

OVERVIEW OF MEDICARE
ADVANTAGE PLANS:

AN MIG INSURANCE BROKER HELPS YOU WORK SMARTER THROUGH THE POWER OF CHOICE BECAUSE THEY WORK WITH MULTIPLE INSURANCE COMPANIES.