Medicare Supplement

Medigap in Worcester: how Massachusetts's Core and Supplement 1 plans work

If you're shopping for a Medicare Supplement policy in Worcester, you'll notice something unusual right away: the plan letters you see advertised in most of the country — A, B, G, N and the rest — aren't what's sold here. Massachusetts is one of three states (along with Minnesota and Wisconsin) that standardizes its own Medigap plans. In Worcester, that means comparing policies called Core, Supplement 1 and Supplement 1A, not the federal letters.

That difference matters when a neighbor, a relative in another state, or a national ad talks about "Plan G" or "Plan N." Those aren't your choices here. Knowing the Massachusetts names — and how they pair with Original Medicare and a stand-alone Part D drug plan — is the first step to picking coverage that fits.

The three Massachusetts Medigap plans

Every insurer that sells Medigap in Massachusetts offers the same three standardized designs, so the coverage inside a given plan name is identical from one company to the next. What can differ is the premium and the customer service.

• Core is the more basic option. It covers a set list of Original Medicare cost-sharing items but leaves more for you to pay than Supplement 1A.
• Supplement 1 is the most comprehensive plan, but it is closed to anyone who first became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020. If you were eligible before that date and already have it, you can keep it.
• Supplement 1A was created for people newly eligible in 2020 or later. It's similar to Supplement 1 but does not pay the Part B deductible, which federal law now blocks Medigap from covering for newly eligible enrollees.

Because the benefits inside each plan name are the same at every carrier, shopping Medigap in Massachusetts is mostly about comparing the same plan across insurers.

How Medigap fits with Original Medicare and Part D

A Medigap policy only works alongside Original Medicare (Part A hospital and Part B medical). It helps pay some of what Original Medicare doesn't — things like coinsurance and certain deductibles, depending on the plan you pick.

Two things Medigap does not do in Massachusetts:

• It does not include prescription drug coverage. For that, you enroll in a stand-alone Part D plan.
• It does not work with a Medicare Advantage plan. You choose one path or the other.

For 2026, Part D has a $2,100 annual out-of-pocket cap on covered drugs, a maximum deductible of $615, and the old coverage gap ("donut hole") has been eliminated — the benefit now moves through three phases. If monthly drug bills are uneven, you can also ask your Part D plan about the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which spreads your share of drug costs across the calendar year.

Where Worcester fits in

Worcester is in Worcester County, and Medigap availability is set at the state level in Massachusetts, so any policy sold in the state is generally available to a Worcester resident who qualifies. The insurers currently offering Medigap in Massachusetts are, in alphabetical order:

• AARP – UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts
• Fallon Health and Life Assurance Company Inc.
• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc.
• Health New England
• Tufts Insurance Company

The table below lists every insurer and the Massachusetts plans they offer. Since the plan definitions are standardized, use it to line up the same plan name — say, Supplement 1A — across each company and then request quotes.

Rules that shape your choice

A few Massachusetts-specific rules are worth knowing before you shop:

• Newly eligible restriction. If your Medicare eligibility began on or after January 1, 2020, Supplement 1 is off the table. Your standardized choices are Core or Supplement 1A.
• When to enroll. Your best federal protection is the Medigap Open Enrollment Period, a six-month window that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During that time, insurers can't turn you down or charge more for health reasons.
• Guaranteed issue rights. Beyond the federal window, Massachusetts has its own rules that can give you a right to buy or switch a Medigap policy in certain situations. Because those rules change and depend on your circumstances, check with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance or your local SHIP before assuming a right applies.
• Higher-income surcharges. If your income is above $109,000 as a single filer in 2026, you may pay an IRMAA surcharge on Part B and Part D. That surcharge is separate from your Medigap premium.

How to compare without getting lost

Because the plan names are standardized, you don't have to compare benefit charts across carriers — those are set. Instead:

1. Decide whether Core or Supplement 1A (or Supplement 1, if you qualify) matches how much you're comfortable paying out of pocket versus in monthly premium. 2. Request quotes for that same plan from more than one insurer in the table below. 3. Add up your likely total: Medigap premium + Part B premium + a Part D plan premium. 4. Confirm your doctors take Original Medicare — most in the Worcester area do — since Medigap follows Medicare, not a network.

No single plan or insurer is "best" for everyone. The right fit depends on your budget, your health, and how you like to handle medical bills.