Medicare Supplement

How Medicare Supplement plans fill gaps for Chelsea residents

CHELSEA, Mass. — If you're on Original Medicare and worried about the bills that pile up after Medicare pays its share, you've probably heard about Medicare Supplement insurance, also called Medigap. It's one of the more misunderstood pieces of the Medicare puzzle, so let's slow down and walk through what it actually does — and what it doesn't.

What Medigap is (and isn't)

Medigap is private insurance that works alongside Original Medicare (Part A and Part B). After Medicare pays its portion of a covered service, your Medigap policy picks up some or all of what's left — things like coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles.

A few important points from Medicare.gov:

• Medigap is not the same as Medicare Advantage. Advantage plans (Part C) replace the way you get Original Medicare. Medigap adds to Original Medicare. You can't have both at the same time.
• Medigap generally doesn't cover prescription drugs. For that, most people add a stand-alone Part D plan.
• Medigap doesn't cover long-term care, routine dental, vision, hearing aids, or private-duty nursing.
• Each person needs their own policy. A married couple can't share one.

How the standardized letters work

In most states, Medigap policies are standardized and labeled with letters: A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. Plans C and F are only available to people who became eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020.

Here's the part that saves people a lot of confusion: a Plan G from one company covers exactly the same things as a Plan G from another company. The letter defines the benefits. What can differ is the monthly premium, the company's customer service, and how they price the policy over time.

That's why comparing Medigap policies is really a two-step job: 1. Decide which letter matches the coverage you want. 2. Then compare prices and companies offering that letter.

A quick note for Massachusetts

Massachusetts is one of three states (along with Minnesota and Wisconsin) that doesn't use the standard letter system. Instead, Massachusetts has its own set of standardized Medigap plans — typically called Core and Supplement 1 (with a newer Supplement 1A for people who became eligible on or after January 1, 2020).

So if you live in Chelsea and start shopping, don't be surprised when you see Massachusetts-specific plan names instead of letters. The idea is the same: the state defines the benefits, and insurers compete on price and service.

Timing matters more than most people realize

The best time to buy a Medigap policy is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — the six months that start the first day of the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that window, insurers can't turn you down or charge you more because of your health.

Outside that window, in most cases, insurers can use medical underwriting. That means a health condition could raise your premium — or make it hard to switch plans later. It's worth knowing this before you make a decision you can't easily undo.

How Medigap fits with Part D and 2026 costs

Because Medigap usually doesn't include drug coverage, many people on Original Medicare pair it with a Part D prescription drug plan. A few 2026 figures to keep in mind from Medicare.gov:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap is $2,100 in 2026. Once you hit it, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old "donut hole" is gone as of 2025 — 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 bills at the pharmacy counter.
• Higher-income enrollees may pay IRMAA surcharges on Part B and Part D. For 2026, those start above $109,000 in income for a single filer.

Local context for Chelsea

Chelsea is in Suffolk County, where residents have access to Original Medicare plus a range of private options, including Medicare Advantage plans and Part D drug plans offered by multiple carriers. Medigap availability in Massachusetts is set at the state level, so any resident of the Commonwealth can shop the standardized Massachusetts plans from participating insurers.

If you'd rather talk this through with someone local and unbiased, Massachusetts has a free SHINE program (the state's SHIP — State Health Insurance Assistance Program) with trained counselors who don't sell insurance.

Key enrollment dates to remember

• Medicare Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7 (for Part D and Medicare Advantage changes)
• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31
• Medigap Open Enrollment: the 6 months starting when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B