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Section 5: ready to enroll 
 

How to Buy a Medigap Policy

Choose a plan within six months of signing up for Part B to avoid being turned down or charged more

 

ESTIMATED READ TIME: 5 MINUTES

  

IN THIS ARTICLE

 

• Find the right policy

• What you’ll pay

If you’ve chosen original Medicare, you may benefit from Medigap, a supplemental insurance policy from a private insurer. Although you’ll pay an additional monthly premium for a policy, it can cover some of Medicare’s deductibles, copayments and other out-of-pocket expenses.
 

If you don’t have employer or retiree coverage or Tricare military health insurance, you should consider a Medigap policy. You can buy this policy anytime, but in most states it’s best to do so within six months of enrolling in Part B. That way, insurers can’t reject you or charge more because of preexisting conditions.

 

FIND THE RIGHT POLICY

 

Although private insurers sell the Medigap plans, federal and state rules standardize the coverage. Insurers can offer up to 10 plans, each with a different letter designation.
 

In most cases, plans with the same letter must include the same benefits, no matter which insurance company offers it. (Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin have a different set of standardized plans.) But the plans aren’t offered at the same price. Choose the letter plan that provides the coverage you want, then shop around on Medicare’s Medigap plan finder.
 

To learn what the policies cover, visit Medicare.gov. Here’s how to get a policy.
 

1. Go to the plan finder and type in your zip code.
 

screenshot of the medicare medigap plan finder website instructing the user to enter their zip code to find a medigap policy that works for you


2. Enter your age, sex and whether you use tobacco
to get more accurate cost estimates. You’ll see price ranges and information about copays, deductibles and benefits for the letter plans in your area.
 

Below are the estimated monthly costs for Plan G (high deductible) and Plan K policies for a nonsmoking 65-year-old man who lives in Baltimore.

screenshot of the medicare plan finder website showing an example of a list of two medigap plans available along with their estimated monthly costs, deductibles and plan benefits

3. Click “Plan Details” for information about coverage and general costs for each letter plan. Click “View Policies” for a list of the insurers that offer Medigap policies with each letter designation in your area and estimated premiums.
 

a screenshot of the medicare plan finder website medigap plans list page with the “plan details” and “view policies” buttons circled in red


WHAT YOU’LL PAY
 

Contact the plans you’re interested in for specific premiums. Medicare’s Medigap plan finder has links to websites for every plan. Follow the “View Policies” link and you’ll see a “Visit company website” link along with each company’s address and phone number.
 

Premiums for plans with the same letter designation can vary widely based on the insurer you choose. The 65-year-old man in Baltimore who doesn’t smoke and wants to look at Plan G offerings that don't have high deductibles can expect to pay $94 to $397 a month depending on the company, according to the plan finder.
 

Some companies give discounts for multiple policies and/or household discounts. Certain companies that use a formula called attained-age pricing to set rates initially offer a low premium to younger buyers but have regular premium increases based on age and inflation. With issue-age pricing, premiums are based on your age when you buy the policy and can increase because of inflation. A company that uses community-rated pricing charges the same premium to all people in a state who have a policy with the same letter designation, regardless of their ages.
 

As benefits vary across letter designations, so do monthly premiums. Plan K had the lowest monthly premiums for a 65-year-old woman in 2022, averaging $98 per month according to Weiss Ratings. This cost-sharing plan requires you to pay 50 percent of the Part A deductible and other expenses until you reach a $6,620 out-of-pocket spending limit (in 2023, it rose to $6,940). The highest average premiums were $220 per month for Plan C, which covers all Medicare's out-of-pocket costs except for Part B excess charges. That's a range of $1,176 to $2,641 per year. Plans C and F aren't available to people newly eligible for Medicare after 2019.

Average Medigap premiums for men are often higher because males typically have a shorter life span than females and tend to be less healthy. So, in general, they use more medical services faster. Average annual premiums for a 65-year-old man ranged from $1,168 for Plan K to $2,913 for Plan C — just $8 a year more than women for Plan K, which is $272 a year more for Plan C.
 

Keep in mind: If more than six months has passed since you enrolled in Part B, your premium may be based on your health status. And you could wait up to six months to be covered for existing medical conditions.
 

If you buy a Medigap policy within six months of enrolling in Part B or within 63 days of losing job-based health insurance that’s considered secondary to Medicare (generally coverage from an employer with fewer than 20 employees), then you can't be charged more or be denied coverage because of any health problems. But, in most states, your premium can depend on your age, gender or smoking status.

 

Some state insurance departments list premiums for Medigap plans. To find your state’s insurance department, visit the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website.
 

To buy a Medigap plan, contact the insurance company. You may be able to enroll online, by phone or by mail. You can also use an insurance agent.

 

You’ll pay your Medigap premium to the insurer, not to the federal government. Ask the company if it offers any automatic payment options and discounts for enrolling in an automatic payment plan or for insuring both you and your spouse with the company.
 

For help exploring your Medigap options, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). Its counselors often have information about prices and rules for specific plans available in your area.
 

Updated February 17, 2023

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