Medicare, the federal health insurance program for senior citizens, comes in four parts: Part A covers basic hospital insurance, subject to certain deductibles and limitations. Part B covers physicians' costs, medical equipment and lab fees. Part C, Medicare Advantage, provides seniors with a managed-care portal for accessing their benefits. And Part D covers prescription drugs. Medigap insurance, also called Medical Supplement Insurance, provides coverage to fill in "gaps" in coverage that Medicare does not address, such as costs for care prior to meeting the medical deductible.
Instructions
1. Contact a Medigap insurance provider in your area. Many companies and agents that sell Medicare Advantage policies also sell Medigap policies. You may be able to get a list of Medigap providers by calling the State Health Insurance Assistance Program for your state and asking for a Medigap rate-shopping guide. (For a list of State Health Insurance Assistance Program offices, see Resource, pages 49-50.)
2. Select a Medigap plan. You can do so with the advice of a professional insurance agent, but the final decision is yours. You can choose from among a number of standardized plans, which are uniform no matter what insurance company or agency is selling the plan. These standards are national in scope, except in Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
3. Enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B if you have not already done so. You cannot enroll in Medigap unless you have enrolled in both parts.
4. Learn what Medicare and Medigap don't cover. Little or no coverage is provided under Medicare or Medigap for long-term care, skilled nursing care, vision care, dental care, hearing aids and glasses.
5. Purchase the plan. Cancel the old Medicare Advantage plan. Medicare Advantage does not work with Medigap policies. Do not cancel your Medicare Advantage plan until you have a Medigap plan in place.
Tags: Medicare Advantage, Medicare Medigap, Part covers, Advantage plan, Assistance Program, Health Insurance Assistance
