Medicare Supplement

Medicare Supplement basics for Raytown: letters and coverage

In Raytown, plenty of people turn 65 each month and run into the same question: once Original Medicare starts, what fills in the rest? That's where Medicare Supplement insurance — better known as Medigap — comes in. It's a separate policy you buy from a private insurance company to help pay some of the costs Original Medicare leaves behind, like coinsurance and deductibles.

Medigap doesn't replace Medicare. It works alongside Part A and Part B, picking up a share of the bills after Medicare pays first. And unlike Medicare Advantage, Medigap policies are standardized by letter, which makes them easier to compare once you know what to look for.

What Medigap actually pays for

Original Medicare covers a lot, but it doesn't cover everything. Part A has a hospital deductible. Part B usually pays 80% of approved outpatient costs, leaving you responsible for the other 20% — with no yearly cap on what you could owe.

Medigap policies help with those leftover costs. Depending on the letter you choose, a Medigap plan may cover:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and extra hospital days
• Part B coinsurance or copayments
• The first three pints of blood
• Hospice care coinsurance
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A and, in some older plans, Part B deductibles
• Limited emergency care during foreign travel

What Medigap does not cover: prescription drugs, routine dental, vision, hearing aids, or long-term custodial care. For drug coverage, you'd sign up for a separate Part D plan.

How the standardized letters work

Medigap plans are 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.) The key thing to understand is that the benefits inside each letter are set by federal rules. A Plan G sold by one company covers the same gaps as a Plan G sold by another company.

What can differ:

• The monthly premium
• The company's customer service and billing
• Extra perks some carriers tack on (like gym benefits)
• How the carrier prices policies over time (some raise premiums as you age; some don't)

Because the coverage is standardized, comparing Medigap really comes down to price and the company behind the policy.

Raytown and Jackson County: what's available locally

Raytown sits in Jackson County, Missouri. Medigap policies in Missouri are regulated at the state level, and most of the standardized letter plans are offered by multiple insurers across the Kansas City metro. That gives Raytown residents a decent range of carriers to compare.

Missouri also has an unusual consumer protection called the "anniversary rule." It lets Medigap policyholders switch to the same letter plan with another company each year around their policy anniversary, without new medical underwriting. That's a bigger deal than it sounds — in most states, once your initial enrollment window closes, insurers can turn you down or charge more based on your health.

The best time to buy — and why timing matters

Your strongest protection to buy Medigap is your Medigap Open Enrollment Period. It's a one-time, six-month window that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window:

• Insurers must sell you any Medigap plan they offer
• They can't charge you more because of health problems
• They can't make you wait for pre-existing conditions (with limited exceptions)

Miss that window and, in most states, insurers can use medical underwriting. Missouri's anniversary rule helps, but it only lets you switch between the same letter — not upgrade to a richer plan.

Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage: not the same thing

This trips people up all the time. You can have Medigap or Medicare Advantage — not both. Medicare Advantage (Part C) replaces how you get your Original Medicare benefits, usually bundling in drug coverage and extras. Medigap works with Original Medicare to cover the gaps.

If you're on Medicare Advantage and want to switch to Original Medicare plus Medigap, the timing rules and underwriting can get complicated. That's a good moment to call your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) — in Missouri, it's called CLAIM — for free, unbiased help.