What Medicare covers
What are the parts of Medicare (A, B, C and D)?
Compare Medicare options near you
Answer 3 quick questions to see Medicare listings from licensed insurance partners.
What’s your ZIP code?
Plan availability is set by your county, so we start here.
How old are you?
This helps match you with options you’re eligible for.
Do you have Medicare Parts A & B?
This affects which Medicare options you can choose.
These listings are provided by licensed insurance partners.
Medicare Advantage plans in your area are changing or leaving for 2027.
Is your plan one of them? Call now — one free call tells you.
Available now — current wait: 0 min
A real person answers. No phone menu, ever.
Medicare Advantage plans in your area are changing or leaving for 2027.
Is your plan one of them? Call now — one free call tells you.
Available now — current wait: 0 min
A real person answers. About 5 minutes, no obligation.
Agents available Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm CT
Want to see more plan options?
Answer a few more questions to continue to additional options from licensed partners.
Continue →Advertising disclosure: MyMedicarePlans.org may be compensated when you contact a partner or licensed agent. Listings are not ranked or endorsed by us, and we do not recommend specific plans. You can also contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE.
Speak to a Licensed Insurance Agent
Click to call 855-729-3240Found a plan you like online?
One free call confirms it's actually right for you — online directories are wrong more often than you'd think.
- Your doctors — confirmed in-network for 2027
- Your prescriptions — checked against the plan's 2027 drug tiers
855-729-3240 · free · about 5 minutes
Short answer
Medicare has four parts: Part A is hospital insurance and Part B is medical insurance, and together they make up Original Medicare, run by the federal government.
Part C, Medicare Advantage, is an alternative way to get Parts A and B through a private plan approved by Medicare, usually with drug coverage included.
Part D is prescription drug coverage sold by private plans, either on its own alongside Original Medicare or built into a Medicare Advantage plan; Medigap is extra insurance for Original Medicare, not a part of Medicare.
What does each part of Medicare cover?
| Part | What it covers | Who provides it | What you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part A (hospital insurance) | Inpatient hospital stays, skilled nursing facility care after a qualifying hospital stay, hospice, some home health care | Medicare | Premium-free for most; $1,736 deductible per benefit period (2026) |
| Part B (medical insurance) | Doctors, outpatient care, preventive services, lab tests, medical equipment, some drugs given in a doctor's office | Medicare | $202.90 a month standard; $283 deductible, then usually 20% (2026) |
| Part C (Medicare Advantage) | Everything Parts A and B cover, usually drug coverage, often extra benefits | Private plans approved by Medicare | Part B premium plus any plan premium; out-of-pocket limit up to $9,250 in network (2026) |
| Part D (drug coverage) | Outpatient prescription drugs | Private plans approved by Medicare | Plan premium; out-of-pocket cap $2,100 (2026), $2,400 (2027) |
What is Original Medicare?
Original Medicare is Part A and Part B, paid for directly by the federal government. You can see any doctor or hospital in the U.S. that accepts Medicare, usually without referrals. After the deductibles you generally pay 20% of the cost of Part B services, with no yearly limit, which is why many people add a Medigap policy and a Part D drug plan.
What is Medicare Advantage (Part C)?
Medicare Advantage plans are offered by private insurance companies approved by Medicare. They cover everything Original Medicare covers, usually include drug coverage, and must cap your yearly out-of-pocket costs for in-network care. Most use networks of doctors and hospitals and may require referrals or prior approval; many include extra benefits like some dental, vision or hearing care. How it compares with Original Medicare.
What is Medicare Part D?
Part D covers outpatient prescription drugs. You get it through a stand-alone drug plan alongside Original Medicare or through a Medicare Advantage plan that includes it. Each plan has its own list of covered drugs, and out-of-pocket costs for covered drugs are capped at $2,100 in 2026. How Part D works.
Where does Medigap fit in?
Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) isn't a part of Medicare. It's private insurance that helps pay Original Medicare's deductibles, coinsurance and copays. Plans are standardized by letter, so a Plan G covers the same benefits from any insurer. Medigap works only with Original Medicare, not with Medicare Advantage. Medigap Plan G vs. Plan N.
On this site: Medicare Advantage by stateMedicare Part D by stateMedigap by state
Good to know
More questions people ask
Is Medigap the same as Medicare Part C?
Do I need every part of Medicare?
Do Parts A and B cover prescription drugs?
Who runs Medicare?
Related questions
- Medicare.gov: Parts of Medicare
- Medicare.gov: Medicare basics
- Medicare.gov: Your coverage options
- Medicare.gov: Medicare costs
Figures are Medicare’s, set nationally, and were checked against these pages on October 2026. For your own situation, contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048).
Content Integrity Standards
- No invented figures. Program-level numbers come from CMS / Medicare.gov; we never use placeholder data.
- No plan recommendations. This is educational content. We don't score or recommend specific plans; any Star Ratings shown are Medicare's own CMS ratings, stated as published.
- AI-assisted, human-reviewed. Articles are produced with AI-assisted tools and reviewed by the responsible desk before publishing.
- Inline sourcing. Facts and figures are cited to primary sources — CMS, SSA, and Medicare.gov.
- Correction transparency. We fix errors openly and note when a page was last updated.
- Not a government site. MyMedicarePlans.org is privately owned and not affiliated with or endorsed by Medicare or any government agency.
This page was last updated: October 2026.