The New Health Care Law and Medigap
Your questions answered
Q: I have a medigap policy. Will it change under the health care reform law?
A: No. Medigap plans — also called Medicare supplemental plans — are a special kind of health insurance regulated by other federal and state laws. The new law currently does not change most medigap policies, though there may be changes later on, says Bonnie Burns, policy and training specialist at California Health Advocates, a consumer health advocacy group. These plans have a very specific purpose: to fill in the payment gaps in traditional Medicare coverage. They only kick in when you are responsible for a share of the bill, including copayments and deductibles but excluding monthly premiums.
There are several health care reform rules that don't apply to medigap plans. Because Medicare doesn't cover beneficiaries' children, medigap plans don't have to follow the new law's requirement that private insurance plans cover young adult children under their parents' insurance.
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