Medicare Supplement policies are designed to cover the “donut hole” of the original “Medicare”. An “Original” Medicare includes Part A of Medicare and Medicare Part B. These policies are the same across companies: all companies must provide the same standardized benefits. This makes it easy to understand the plans and how they work.
Medicare supplement plans (also called Medigap) are standardized by the federal government. All plans provide the same coverage for “similar” plans. What this means is that an F plan with one company is exactly the same as an F plan with another company. For this reason, it is important to compare plans based on monthly premium and company rating or reputation.
Your Plan N supplement will cover the 20% outpatient surgery co-insurance that Medicare does not pay. Unlike a Medicare Advantage policy, Plan N is not annual and you will not be subjected to enrollment periods. A lot of providers are providing the limited subscription N plan and pre-existing conditions are not relevant in many cases. If your Medicare Advantage plan is not renewed, you will be guaranteed acceptance into Medicare supplement plans.
One of the benefits of a standardized plan is that it facilitates online shopping. Unlike an Advantage plan, you don’t have to review dozens of leaflets to know the differences from one plan to another. The benefits are the same as Medicare N Supplement Plan, regardless of the company you are looking for, and you can compare plans online with few problems.
The Medicare Pl M supplement will be very similar to the current Medigap D plan. It will still have the main benefits of covering the 20% that Medicare does not cover in the doctor, hospital and specialist nursing (as well as hospital coverage); however, Plan M will not cover the Medicare Part B deductible (currently $ 135/year) and will only cover half of the Medicare Part A deductible (currently $1068/year). However, you will not have copies. Most people project that Plan M will have a premium of approximately 85% of current Plan F premiums (Plan F is the most common plan today).
Medigap Plan N will also be similar to the current Medigap Plan D. However, instead of not covering part or all of the deductibles, you will reduce premiums by using cost sharing. There will be a $20 copayment at the doctor’s office and a $50 copayment for emergency consultations. Most expect Plan N to be approximately 70% of current Plan F premium costs. If the price is the same, it is preferable to be with a company with a long history of senior insurance market share and/or a high financial strength rating.