Medicare Supplements
Medicare Supplements, also called Medigap, are extra insurance plans that help pay the costs that Original Medicare leaves behind for you to pay, like copays, deductibles, and coinsurance. You can sign up for a Medicare Supplement when you first get Medicare Part B, and during this time you do not have to answer health questions or worry about being denied. If you try to sign up later, in most cases you will have to answer health questions and the insurance company must approve you. Medicare Supplements do not have networks, which means you can go to any doctor or hospital in the United States that accepts Medicare.
Most states offer standardized Medicare Supplement plans, which means the plans are the same no matter which insurance company sells them. The only states with different rules are Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, which have their own versions of standardized plans. These plans are labeled by letters A through N, and each letter plan has its own benefits and monthly costs. Medicare Supplements are sold by private insurance companies, and they do not include drug coverage, so you will need to buy a separate Part D plan for prescriptions.
Unless you are retiring with employer coverage, you have two main choices for Medicare: a Medicare Supplement plus a Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan.