Medicare Supplement

Medigap coverage explained for Crown Point Medicare users

CROWN POINT, Ind. — If you've flipped through Medicare mailers lately, you've probably seen the phrase "Medicare Supplement" or "Medigap" more than once. It sounds like a small add-on, but it's actually a whole separate type of coverage — and understanding how it works can save you a lot of guesswork later.

Medicare Supplement insurance, explained for Crown Point readers

Here in Crown Point, which sits in Lake County, retirees on Original Medicare often ask the same thing: what does a Medigap policy actually do, and why are they labeled with letters like A, G, and N? Let's walk through it in plain language.

What Medigap is — and what it isn't

Medigap is private insurance that helps pay some of the costs Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind — things like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles. You buy it from a private insurance company, but the benefits inside each lettered plan are set by federal rules.

A few important boundaries:

• Medigap only works with Original Medicare. It does not work with Medicare Advantage.
• Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you'd add a stand-alone Part D plan.
• Medigap does not typically cover dental, vision, hearing aids, or long-term care.

Think of it as a financial cushion behind Original Medicare — not a replacement for it.

How the standardized letters work

Medigap policies are sold as "standardized" plans, each labeled with a letter. In most states, including Indiana, you'll see Plans A, B, D, G, K, L, M, and N, along with high-deductible versions of some. Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.

Here's the key idea: every Plan G sold by every company covers the exact same things. Same for Plan N, Plan K, and so on. What can differ between insurers is the price, customer service, and extras like discounts or wellness programs — not the core benefits.

So when you compare Medigap policies, you're really comparing the price of the same benefit package from different carriers.

What each plan generally helps with

The lettered plans differ mainly in how much cost-sharing they pick up. In general, Medigap plans may help pay:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and an extra 365 days of hospital coverage
• Part B coinsurance or copays
• The first three pints of blood
• Part A hospice care coinsurance
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance (on most plans)
• Part A deductible (on most plans)
• Foreign travel emergency care (on some plans)

Plans like K and L pay a percentage rather than the full amount, and they include an annual out-of-pocket limit. Plan N has small copays for some office and ER visits. The Medicare.gov plan comparison tool lays out these differences side-by-side.

When you can buy a Medigap policy

Timing matters more with Medigap than most people realize. Your best window is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you're both 65 or older and enrolled in Part B.

During that window:

• You can buy any Medigap policy sold in Indiana.
• Insurers can't turn you down or charge more because of health conditions.

After that window closes, in most cases insurers can use medical underwriting — meaning your health history can affect whether you're accepted or what you pay. Indiana has some limited protections, but the safest bet is not to miss that first six-month window.

Note: Medigap has its own timing rules and is not tied to the October 15 – December 7 Annual Enrollment Period, which is for Medicare Advantage and Part D. You can apply for Medigap any time of year, but approval outside your open enrollment window isn't guaranteed.

How Medigap fits with Part D and 2026 changes

Because Medigap doesn't cover prescriptions, many Crown Point residents pair it with a stand-alone Part D drug plan. And there's real news on the Part D side worth knowing:

• In 2026, out-of-pocket spending on covered Part D drugs is capped at $2,100.
• The maximum Part D deductible in 2026 is $615.
• The old "donut hole" coverage gap is gone — Part D now has three phases.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs across the year in monthly installments instead of paying big amounts at the pharmacy counter.
• Higher-income enrollees may pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D; those start above $109,000 in income for a single filer in 2026.

None of those figures come from a Medigap policy — they're program-level rules — but they affect the full picture of what you'll spend.