Quick Answers
What is Medigap insurance?
Medigap insurance policies are sold by private insurance
companies and are designed to supplement Medicare. There
are 10 Medigap policies labeled A through J. Since
policies with the same letter designation are required
by federal law to provide the same benefits, they are
easily comparable. In other words, no matter what
company sells the policy, all Medigap A policies cover
the same set of services, all Medigap B polices cover
the same set of services, etc. When purchasing Medigap
insurance shop around. Policies offering the same
benefits can vary greatly in price. In addition, you
want a policy that truly supplements Medicare. One that
will pay that portion of the bill not covered by
Medicare as well as cover some additional health
services not provided by Medicare. For example, some
Medigap policies provide limited prescription drug
coverage, a benefit not provided by Medicare. However,
policies that provide benefits over and above those
covered by Medicare tend to be more expensive.
Gail Carlson, MPH Ph.D., Continuing Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia
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Last update: Wednesday, November 26, 2008
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