Comparing plans
Which Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan Is Right For You in 2020?
by Christian Worstell | Published February 18, 2021 | Reviewed by John Krahnert
If you’re eligible for Medicare in 2020, you may be wondering how to find the right Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) plan for your coverage needs.
After all, there are 10 different standardized Medigap plans available in most states, and each type of plan offers its own set of benefits.
Here is a guide to finding the right Medicare Supplement Insurance plan for you in 2020. You can also call today to speak with a licensed insurance agent who can help you compare Medigap plans available where you live.
Find 2020 Medicare Supplement plans in your area.
Compare Plans
You can compare 2019-2020 Medicare Supplement plans online.Medicare Supplement Insurance Benefits in 2020
Medicare Supplement Insurance plans help cover some of the out-of-pocket costs that aren’t covered by Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). These costs can include things like deductibles, copays, coinsurance and more.
There are nine benefit areas that a standardized Medigap plan can cover. You can use the chart below to compare 2019 Medicare Supplement plans.
Scroll to the right to continue reading the chart
Medicare Supplement Benefits
Part A coinsurance and hospital coverage
Part B coinsurance or copayment
Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment
First 3 pints of blood
Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
Part A deductible
Part B deductible
Part B excess charges
Foreign travel emergency
| A | B | C* | D | F1* | G1 | K2 | L3 | M | N4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50% | 75% | ||||||||
| 50% | 75% | ||||||||
| 50% | 75% | ||||||||
| 50% | 75% | ||||||||
| 50% | 75% | 50% | |||||||
| 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% | 80% |
* Plan F and Plan C are not available to Medicare beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you became eligible for Medicare before 2020, you may still be able to enroll in Plan F or Plan C as long as they are available in your area.
+ Read more1 Plans F and G offer high-deductible plans that each have an annual deductible of $2,370 in 2021. Once the annual deductible is met, the plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the year. The high-deductible Plan F is not available to new beneficiaries who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.
2 Plan K has an out-of-pocket yearly limit of $6,220 in 2021. After you pay the out-of-pocket yearly limit and yearly Part B deductible, it pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year.
3 Plan L has an out-of-pocket yearly limit of $3,110 in 2021. After you pay the out-of-pocket yearly limit and yearly Part B deductible, it pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year.
4 Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to $50 copayment for emergency room visits that don’t result in an inpatient admission.
- Read lessIs Plan G the Best 2020 Medigap Plan?
If you become eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Medigap Plan G will offer the most standardized benefits of any type of Medigap plan you may be able to consider (depending on plan availability where you live).
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Plan G provides coverage for eight of the nine benefit areas that can be covered by one of the 10 standardized Medigap plans.
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The only Medigap benefit that is not covered by Plan G is the Medicare Part B deductible. The 2020 Medicare Part B deductible is forecasted to be $197 for the year.
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Depending on plan availability in your area, you may be able to apply for high-deductible Plan G, which will be a new 2020 Medigap plan.
If you became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 (even if you weren’t already enrolled in a Medigap plan), you may be able to apply for Medigap Plan F or Plan C.
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Plan F offers the most benefits of any type of standardized Medicare Supplement plan. It offers coverage of all nine possible Medigap benefit areas, including the Part B deductible.
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Plan C covers each Medigap benefit except for Part B excess charges. Like Plan F, Plan C covers the Medicare Part B deductible.
You will only face Part B excess charges if you visit a health care provider who does not accept Medicare assignment, which means they do not accept Medicare payment as payment in full for their services.
These providers are allowed to charge you up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount for their services. Excess charges can be avoided by only visiting providers who accept Medicare assignment.
Plan D and Plan N are two other Medicare Supplement plans that offer more benefits than some of the other standardized Medigap plans.
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Each plan covers each type of Medigap benefit, except for the Part B deductible and Part B excess charges.
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Plan N may require a copayment for certain doctor’s visits (up to $20) and a copay for emergency room visits that do not result in a hospital admission for inpatient care (up to $50).
A licensed insurance agent can help you find the right Medigap plan for your coverage needs and your budget.
What Is the Most Affordable 2020 Medigap Plan?
Plan F and Plan G each feature a high-deductible option in 2020.
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The high-deductible option means you must first pay a certain amount out of pocket on covered care to meet your deductible before the plan coverage will kick in.
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High-deductible Plan F typically has lower monthly premiums than other types of Medigap plans. In 2018, The average premium for High-deductible Plan F was $57.16 per month, which was the lowest of any type of standardized Medigap plan.1
Some cost-sharing Medigap plans also tend to have lower premiums. “Cost-sharing” means that the plan offers less than 100% coverage in certain benefit areas.
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For example, Plan K covers 50% of the costs for Medicare Part B coinsurance, and Plan L offers 75% coverage of the Medicare Part A deductible. Cost-sharing plans include Plan K, Plan L, Plan N and Plan M.
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In 2018, the average Plan N premium was $111.28 per month. This was the lowest average premium of any Medigap plan (other than High-deductible Plan F).1
Plans that offer fewer benefits may typically cost less than plans with more benefits. The average cost of a Medicare Supplement Insurance plan can vary based on a number of factors, such as your age, gender, smoking status, health and where you live.
Get Help Picking the Right Medicare Supplement Plan for You
Choosing the right Medigap plan for you is a highly personal choice for a number of reasons.
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We all have different health care needs
Certain benefits might be highly important to one person but not to another.When selecting a plan, carefully consider each benefit and decide how critical you expect it to be for you to have coverage in that area.
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We all have different budgets
Some people may have no trouble affording a plan with higher premiums. Other beneficiaries may want to spend more carefully.Determine how much money you have to budget for your monthly health care expenses and shop accordingly.
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Not all plans are available in every location
Not every Medigap plan is guaranteed to be available for purchase from every carrier.
A licensed insurance agent can help you compare the Medigap plans that are available where you live so that you can find the right plan for your budget and for your health coverage needs. Call today to speak with a licensed agent.
Find Medicare Supplement plans in your area.
Compare Plans1 TZ Insurance Solutions LLC internal sales data, 2019. This data is based on the Medicare Supplement Insurance policies TZ Insurance Solutions LLC has sold. It is not a comprehensive national average of all available Medicare Supplement Insurance plan premiums.
Christian Worstell is a health care and policy writer for MedicareSupplement.com. He has written hundreds of articles helping people better understand their Medicare coverage options.
