Medicare Supplement Plans
Medicare Supplement Plans fill the gaps in Original Medicare. Gaps in Original Medicare include the Part A Deductible, Part B Deductible and the 20% co-insurance. Each Medicare Supplement plan fills those gaps a little differently. The Medicare Supplement Plans are: Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, Plan F, Plan High Deductible F, Plan G, Plan High Deductible G, Plan K, Plan L, Plan M, and Plan N. Plans H, I and J were discontinued and no longer available effective June 1, 2010. Plan F is considered the best Medicare Supplement plan because it fills all the gaps in Original Medicare. Plan F is also the most popular plan and the plan with the highest premium. Plan F is followed by Plan G and N in popularity. The only difference between Plan F and Plan G is the Part B Deductible which Plan F covers and Plan G does not. In 2021, the Part B Deductible is $203. Many more seniors are now choosing Plan G over Plan F because the savings in premiums in most cases is greater that the Part B Deductible($203).
In 2015, Congress passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, prohibiting Medicare Supplement or Medigap plans from providing first dollar coverage to those who become eligible for Medicare after January 1, 2020. As a result, Plans C and F, which cover the Part B Deductible are no longer offered to new enrollees. However, anyone who turned 65 before January 1, 2020, can enroll in Plans F and C.
Plan D and Plan G will be the next logical options for beneficiaries who might have been interested in Plan C or Plan F, respectively. Plan D offers the same protection as Plan C except for covering the Part B Deductible. Similarly, Plan G mirrors Plan F, except for coverage for coverage of the Part B Deductible.
In 2010, 53% of all beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan had either Plan F or Plan G, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.