Medicare Supplements are also known as Medigap plans because they help fill in the gaps that are typically left by original Medicare. Under Original Medicare 80% of your medical cost is paid and you must pay the remaining 20%. Medicare Supplements help pay things like your copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

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When using your plan, Medicare will pay it's share of the Medicare-approved amount and then your Medigap plan pays.

 

The best time to enroll in a Supplement is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period when your Part B becomes active. During that time the policies are guaranteed issue so you can get better rates and won't be ineligible due to health conditions and underwriting guidelines. After that timeframe companies could either charge higher rates or even consider you ineligible for their plan.

Different Medigap Plans cover different things but they DO NOT cover prescription drug costs, dental, vision, or hearing.