Medigap Insurance – The Purpose of Medigap

Traditional Medicare insurance coverage is designed to provide a great deal of health insurance coverage to senior citizens, but that does not mean that it is capable of covering absolutely everything. Because there are some gaps left behind in Medicare coverage, many people decide to buy separate health insurance policies to cover these gaps. The most common name for this type of insurance is Medigap insurance because it is filling in the gaps of coverage that Medicare cannot fill, allowing your coverage to become more well-rounded. The traditional way to acquire Medigap coverage is through a private health insurance company.

There are essentially 12 different "standard" types of Medigap policies that you can choose from. These Medigap policies are identified by letters, which range from A to L. The most basic Medigap insurance policy is Medigap A, which is a "core" policy at one end of the spectrum. Each additional plan on the spectrum adds additional coverage. So for example, Medigap plan E will have some additional feature that is not included in the Medigap plan D, but plan E will also be lacking something that is provided as coverage by the Medigap plan F. The plan that you choose should be based on how much extra care you are looking for from your insurance coverage.

These Medigap insurance plans are exactly the same from one insurer to the next because the Federal government sets the actual details of the plans. However, if you are a resident of Minnesota, Wisconsin or Massachusetts, you should double check the details of the plans with insurance providers in your state or your state insurance company because the Medigap policies offered in these three states are different in some ways in comparison to Medigap coverage in the remaining 47 states in terms of coverage.

Another consideration that you should make when purchasing Medigap insurance is that the coverage will not simultaneously cover both you and your spouse. If you want both you and your spouse to have this type of supplemental insurance, then you are going to want to buy two separate policies to guarantee complete coverage. If you are looking to add supplemental insurance to your Medicare insurance plan, Medigap insurance is a good way to provide you with this assistance. Make sure that you look at each plan individually to determine what level of supplemental health care insurance you require for the best level of peace of mind.