FAQ

Q: When am I first eligible for Medigap? 3

A. The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your 6-month Medigap open enrollment period, because you can buy any Medigap policy sold in your state, even if you have health problems. This period automatically starts the month you turn 65 and enrolled in Medicare Part B. Once it's over, you can't get it again.

Q: Can I switch Medigap policies? 4

A. In most cases, you won't have a right under Federal law to switch Medigap policies, unless you're eligible under a specific circumstance or guaranteed issue rights, or you're within your 6-month Medigap open enrollment period. You don't have to wait a certain length of time after buying your first Medigap policy before you can switch to a different Medigap policy.

Q: What's Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance? 5

A. A Medicare supplement (Medigap) insurance, sold by private companies, can help pay some of the health care costs that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles.

Some Medigap policies also offer coverage for services that Original Medicare doesn't cover, like medical care when you travel outside the U.S. If you have Original Medicare and you buy a Medigap policy, Medicare will pay its share of the Medicare-approved amount for covered health care costs. Then your Medigap policy pays its share.

A Medigap policy is different from a Medicare Advantage Plan. Those plans are ways to get Medicare benefits, while a Medigap policy only supplements your Original Medicare benefits.

Q: Can I continue my employer coverage after I retire? 6

A. If you're retired and have Medicare and group health plan (retiree) coverage from a former employer, generally, Medicare pays first for your health care bills and your group health plan coverage pays second. How your retiree group health plan coverage works depends on the terms of your specific plan. Your employer or union, or your spouse's employer or union, might not offer any health coverage after you retire. If you can get group health plan coverage after you retire, it might have different rules, and might not work the same way with Medicare.

Q: Does Medigap cover me when I travel? 7

A. Your Medigap policy may offer additional coverage for health care services or supplies that you get outside the U.S.

Standard Medigap Plans C, D, F, G, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S.

Plans E, H, I, and J are no longer for sale, but if you bought one before June 1, 2010 you may keep it. All of these plans also provide foreign travel emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S.

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