Medigap or Medicare Supplement Insurance

Although you may hear it called different names, they are the same thing. Medigap or Medicare Supplement insurance work to cover any shortages or “gaps” that Original Medicare (Parts A and B) does not pay for. Medigap insurance is sold by private insurance companies.

By law, companies can only offer standard Medigap insurance plans. There are 11 standard plans, labeled A-N. Each plan offers a different set of benefits, fills different “gaps” in Medicare coverage, and varies in price. Each standardized plan must offer the same essential benefits, no matter which insurance company provides it.

Under the new modernized plans, insurance companies may offer innovative benefits and required standardized benefits. These “innovative” benefits may include things like eyewear or hearing aid coverage. Make sure to find out what innovative benefits are included in the plans you are considering.

New to Medicare?

Are you turning, or did you turn 65 on or before January 1, 2020? If so, some features are not available to you. The most notable is the ability to use Medigap to help pay for Medicare Part B deductibles (Plans C and F this year). You may keep those plans if you were already enrolled before January 1.

However, if you became eligible for Medicare before January. 1, 2020, but haven’t enrolled yet, you may still have access to those plans. In addition to age, disability, and receiving a diagnosis of End-Stage Renal Disease, are also ways to become eligible for Medicare Part A and Part B, also known as Original Medicare coverage.

What Does Medicare Supplement/Medigap Insurance Cover?

When you’re ready to buy a Medigap plan, make sure you understand what each plan offers. For example, every Medigap plan covers 100 percent of Plan A coinsurance. However, Plans A and B do not offer coinsurance for skilled nursing facility care, but the other plans do offer help.

Work With an Experienced Agent

It can get pretty complicated trying to figure out which standardized Medigap plan to purchase or if to purchase any at all. As we age, health care becomes a more significant issue, and deciding which health insurance plans are best for us can get confusing.

On one hand, having all of these options allows us to take a more in-depth look at what we need. Do you plan on traveling during your retirement? Medigap Plans A, B, L, and K do not offer foreign travel emergency care while other plans do. When trying to navigate parts, plans, copays, and deductibles, it’s good to find someone to talk to that understands the nuances of Medicare coverage.

VibrantUSA has been helping those eligible, or those reaching eligibility, since 2003. Every situation is different, so we take pride in getting to know our clients, finding plans that help the most, and securing the cheapest rates. From hospital stays to prescription drug plans to dental and vision care, we make it our business to know Medicare inside and out.

As an independent agency, we are able to work with more than 30 private insurance companies and choose from more than 50 different plans. The best part? Clients don’t pay us a dime – we get paid directly from the insurance carriers. Because we aren’t attached to any single carrier, we’re free to do what’s best for our clients.

After you’re enrolled, we don’t end our service. With a variety of enrollment periods, legislative actions, and changing dynamics in the healthcare industry, it can be challenging to stay on top of your care. Let VibrantUSA do the research for you so you can enjoy your Golden Years.

  • VibrantUSA is always helpful in answering many of my questions and put me at ease with any and all what ifs and whys I may ask of them.

    Clysta Hawks Client Since: 11/16/07
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    Christine R. Hall Client Since: 12/2/08
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    David Hannah Client Since: 6/30/11
  • VibrantUSA has assembled a professional staff that listens carefully to each patient and then takes the time needed to be sure all questions are answered. This enables them to recommend coverage choices that really meet our patients’ needs. I trust them to do the right thing.

    David A. Lynch M.D.ABFM, Family Care Network
  • We are very pleased with the business relationship we share with VibrantUSA. We have found Vibrant to be knowledgeable and helpful in navigating through the plethora of information regarding Medicare insurance related issues for our prospective new residents. On numerous occasions Vibrant has worked with our new resident (and their family members if necessary) to obtain proper insurance and physicians to meet their individual needs. We have also used Vibrant to help our own family members that live locally with their Medicare needs. We have been greatly satisfied with this service too.

    Theresa Taylor Executive Director, Emeritus at Fairhaven
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    Janeen Peterson Client Since 6/10/09
  • For over a year, I tried to get a refund for a premium that was charged by a previous health provider in error. The provider ignored me. Then I went to VibrantUSA. With their guidance and assistance with phone calls and letters, I had my full refund within two weeks! Thank you VibrantUSA agents for the time and attention you spent on this matter.

    Janet Kean Client Since: 12/1/10
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    Bruce & Judy Haley Clients Since: 12/20/07
  • The world of insurance is not easy to step into when you retire. You, at VibrantUSA, helped that first step be just a little easier, and when things don’t go smoothly with the insurance company, you work it out and make it work. Thank you.

    Chad & Marcia Pepperworth Clients Since: 1/1/2008
  • I moved my father from Montana to Spokane this past summer. It was in a crisis type of situation and quite stressful for me and my father. He had no drug coverage when he came and it was a huge hassle trying to figure out what to do! Once I got referred to VibrantUSA, however, it magically got easy! Not only did the representative help me find a perfect low-cost Advantage plan for my father, we were able to sign him up two months before open enrollment due to my father’s diabetes. The other insurance agents I had talked to didn’t even know we could do the early enrollment. This saved my father about $700.00! Three months later, my father was wrongly disenrolled from his Advantage plan, and, as you can imagine, I got dead ended on a lot of calls trying to resolve it. Once again, I called VibrantUSA and the representative that helped me was a cross between a Medicare genius and a pit bull. She knew exactly what to do and assisted us every step of the way until it was all resolved. I can’t say enough how amazing she was. She solved another big hassle worth hundreds of dollars and saved me from hours of calls and stress.

    Christie Pierce Client Since: 10/1/2010