Medicare Supplement (Medigap) in Southern Utah

What is a Medicare Supplement (Medigap) plan?

A Medicare Supplement plan, also called Medigap, is a policy sold by private insurance companies that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). Original Medicare pays a large share of your medical costs, but you are still responsible for deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. A Medigap plan is designed to help pay some or all of those costs.

To buy one, you must be enrolled in both Part A and Part B. A Medigap policy covers one person, so spouses each need their own.

What Medigap does not include

• Prescription drug coverage. You would add a separate Part D plan. See our Part D guide.
• Routine dental, vision, or hearing care. Original Medicare generally does not cover these, and Medigap generally does not either. Stand-alone plans are available.
• Use with Medicare Advantage. You cannot use a Medigap policy together with a Medicare Advantage plan.

Standardized plans: why comparing price matters

In most states, including Utah, Medigap plans are identified by letters, such as Plan G or Plan N. The benefits of each lettered plan are standardized, which means a given plan offers the same basic benefits no matter which company sells it. What differs between companies is the premium, and sometimes how the premium is set and how it may change over time.

Not every lettered plan is available to everyone. For example, plans C and F are not available to people who first became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. We confirm which plans you can buy when we review your options.

Timing matters: your Medigap Open Enrollment Period

When you are 65 or older and enrolled in Part B, you get a one-time 6-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period. During those six months, insurers generally cannot deny you a Medigap policy or charge you more because of your health. Outside that window, many insurers can ask health questions and may decline an application or charge more, unless you have a guaranteed issue right (for example, in certain situations when you lose other coverage).

That is why we recommend looking at Medigap early, before you need it. Annual Enrollment (October 15 to December 7) does not give Medigap shoppers the same protections. Switching Medigap plans later may involve health underwriting.

How premiums are set

Companies price Medigap in different ways. Some base the premium on your age when you first buy the plan, while others base it on your current age, so the premium may rise as you get older. Premiums can also increase over time because of inflation and claims costs. When we quote plans, we explain how each company prices its policy, not only what it costs today.

Medigap or Medicare Advantage?

• Medigap may appeal if you want to keep Original Medicare, see any doctor or hospital that accepts Medicare anywhere in the country, and prefer predictable costs in exchange for a monthly premium.
• Medicare Advantage may appeal if you want one plan that can bundle drug coverage and extras, are comfortable using a network, and want costs shared when you use care.

Our Medicare Advantage guide covers the other side. We are happy to walk through both with you.

How we help

We compare Medicare Supplement plans from the carriers we represent, explain how each prices its policy, and check which plans you are eligible for. Our help is free to you, since carriers pay our commission, and the price of a plan is the same whether you buy through us or directly. You decide, with no pressure.