Washington Medicare Supplemental Insurance Coverage Information

Medicare Supplemental Insurance, commonly referred to as MediGap, is an insurance program that helps to cover medical services that Medicare fails to cover completely like extended home care, prescriptions, and extended hospital care. There are about ten different MediGap programs that are available, MediGap Plans A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J. Each of these lettered plans covers different types of medical care benefits and situations.

MediGap Plans A is a basic benefit plan.

MediGap Plan B offers basic benefits, as well as supplemental coverage to Medicare Part A’s inpatient hospital deductible.

MediGap Plan C offers everything that Plan B does, as well as offering its customers supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A’s skilled nursing facility co-insurance, Medicare Part B’s deductible, as well as foreign travel emergency health care coverage.

MediGap Plan D offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A’s inadequacies, as well as foreign travel emergency health care coverage and at-home recovery coverage.

MediGap Plan E offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A’s inadequacies, foreign travel emergency health care coverage, and preventative care coverage.

MediGap Plan F offers its recipients basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A’s inadequacies, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part B’s deductibles, foreign travel emergency health care coverage, and 100% coverage of Part B’s excess charges. Plan F has a high-deductible option that is available, which can help to reduce the cost of this comprehensive plan.

MediGap Plan G offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare part A’s inadequacies, foreign travel emergency health care coverage, at-home recovery coverage, and 80% coverage of Medicare Part B’s excess charges.

MediGap Plan H is one of the few supplemental plans that covers prescription drugs. In addition to prescription drug coverage this plan also offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A, and foreign emergency health care coverage.

MediGap Plan I is another prescription drug option that also offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Part A, foreign travel emergency health care coverage, at-home recovery coverage, and 100% coverage of Medicare Part B’s excess charges.

Finally MediGap Plan J offers basic benefits, supplemental coverage for Medicare Parts A and B, foreign travel emergency health care coverage, at-home recovery coverage, 100% coverage of Medicare Part B excess charges, as well as preventive care coverage, and prescription drug coverage. This is another MediGap plan that offers a higher deductible, which can help to lower the monthly premium cost.

The government does not offer these supplemental plans. Instead they need to be purchased from an independent insurance agent. The privatization of these programs makes it imperative for customers to shop around before selecting a MediGap insurance provider as premiums, deductibles, and requirements vary greatly from insurance agency to insurance agency. Also each state has the right to limit how many types of MediGap programs can be sold by private insurance agencies, so not every MediGap plan will be available to residents in every state.

MediGap Information for Washington Residents

Since prices, coverage, and requirements vary from state to state, and insurance company to insurance company, customers should not buy coverage from any company without first conducting a little research to determine which plan is right for their unique situation. In Washington, private insurance companies are allowed to sell any of the original ten MediGap plans, as well as two additional MediGap plans, plans K and L.

MediGap Plan K offers basic benefits, hospital coinsurance for days 61-90 at $238 a day, and days 141-150 at $476, and payment in full for up to 365 additional days in the hospital during the lifetime of the MediGap recipient. This plan also covers 50% of costs not covered by Medicare Part B coinsurance for things like doctor’s services, laboratory services, x-ray services, durable medical equipment, as well as hospital outpatient procedures. Plan K also covers 50% of the cost of the first three pints of blood, 50% of Medicare hospital deductibles, and 50% of the costs associated with Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility daily coinsurance deductibles.

MediGap Plan L covers the same services as plan K does, however, instead of 50% coverage it covers 75% of the supplemental service costs.

To find recommended insurance providers for all available MediGap plans in Washington, seniors can contact the Washington Statewide Health Insurance Assistance Program by phoning 1-800-397-4422, or (206) 654-1833, or TTY (360) 664-3154, or by visiting their web site at http://www.insurance.wa.gov/consumers/SHIBA_HelpLine/dirdefault.asp. Washington seniors can also find MediGap help by calling the National Medicare Hotline at 1-800-MEDICARE, or by visiting their web site at http://www.medicare.gov.