Medicare Supplement (Medigap)

Medigap doesn't replace Medicare, and it isn't an alternative to Medicare Advantage. It's a separate decision your parent makes on top of Original Medicare (Parts A and B).

When using Original-Medicare-covered care, your parent normally pays some of the cost themselves:

• Deductible on a hospital stay.
• 20% of approved costs for doctor visits, after the annual Part B deductible.
• Coinsurance on longer hospital or rehab stays.

Medigap covers some or all of those costs. The exact scope depends on the lettered plan chosen. Some policies also cover emergency care abroad, relevant for parents traveling to Poland.

Just as important as what's covered:

• Prescription drugs. A separate Part D plan is needed. More on the Part D page.
• Long-term care. Like permanent nursing-home residency unrelated to rehab.
• Routine dental, vision, hearing aids. Beyond what Medicare itself covers, which is very limited.
• Private at-home nursing beyond what Medicare covers.

Medigap policies are federally standardized by CMS. A plan with the same letter offers exactly the same benefits, no matter which insurance company sells it.

Plans are labeled by letter: Plan F, Plan G, Plan N, Plan K, Plan L, and others. Plan G from Carrier A covers exactly the same things as Plan G from Carrier B. The only difference is price.

So the decision becomes two steps:

• First, pick the letter. That sets the benefits.
• Then, pick the carrier. Compare prices for that same letter across insurers.

Our role: help you understand what each letter covers, then find a carrier with a fair price and a stable rate history. Prices shift yearly. The cheapest company one year isn't necessarily cheapest the next.

Note for parents in Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin. Those states have their own Medigap systems that differ from the federal standardization.

One of the most common sources of regret in Medicare. Read this carefully.

Your parent has a one-time, six-month window called the Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It starts the month they turn 65, as long as Part B is active. During this window, three guarantees apply:

• Guaranteed issue. An insurance company cannot refuse a Medigap policy.
• No medical underwriting. The carrier cannot ask health questions.
• Best available rate. Guaranteed best rate, regardless of medical history.

In the states where we serve clients (Illinois, Florida, Colorado, Arizona), post-65 guaranteed-issue rights are limited. So if your parent is considering Medigap, we recommend talking to an agent at the start of the six-month window, not at the end.

Exceptions exist. Guaranteed issue applies in certain situations: losing employer group coverage, moving outside an Advantage plan's service area during a "trial right" period, and others. Even after the standard window closes, it's worth a conversation. Sometimes there's a path.

If your parent qualified for Medicare due to disability before 65, Medigap access is limited. Some states guarantee it for under-65 beneficiaries; others don't. Illinois, Florida, Colorado, and Arizona each have their own rules. Call us. We'll walk you through what's available in your situation.

Once your parent turns 65, the standard six-month window opens, regardless of whether they had Medicare via disability earlier.

Medigap doesn't cover drugs, so the "Original Medicare + Medigap" path almost always also includes a standalone Part D plan. Otherwise there's a lifetime penalty risk and no drug coverage at all.

The combination Original Medicare + Medigap + Part D is the classic setup for people who value:

• Freedom to see any doctor across the U.S., no network restrictions.
• Predictable, low out-of-pocket costs at visits.
• Independence from yearly network changes.

A Medigap plan can be changed at any time, but without an open enrollment window, the insurer can require medical underwriting and refuse coverage or charge more. So it's worth reviewing the policy regularly: not just price, but the carrier's rate stability. In some cases (e.g., when the current carrier hikes rates), it's possible to switch and keep a good rate. We work through those individually.

That's why it's worth talking through with an agent who'll explain the long-term implications, not just the next year's premium.

We're a licensed, independent agency serving Polish-speaking families across 17 states. We explain in Polish to your parent what each lettered plan covers, compare carrier prices, and help with enrollment, ideally before the six-month window closes.

Jakub Słomczewski Licensed Insurance Agent Medigap is one of those decisions best made calmly, on time. We'll walk you through every option.

Working with our agency costs your family nothing. Agents are paid directly by the insurance carriers.