Medicare Supplement

Why Medigap coverage is identical in Springville

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — If you've ever tried to make sense of Medicare Supplement insurance, you're not alone. The plans go by letters, the rules are set by the federal government, and the coverage stays the same from one company to the next. Here's a plain-language look at what Medigap does, what it doesn't, and how those standardized letters actually work.

What Medigap Is — and What It Isn't

Medicare Supplement insurance, often called Medigap, is private insurance that helps pay some of the out-of-pocket costs that Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) leaves behind. Think of it as a helper policy that sits alongside Medicare. It can pick up things like coinsurance, copayments, and some deductibles.

Medigap is not Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage (Part C) replaces the way you get your Original Medicare benefits and often bundles in extras. Medigap works only with Original Medicare — you can't have both a Medigap policy and a Medicare Advantage plan at the same time.

One more important point: Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. If you want help paying for medications, you'll need a separate Part D plan.

How the Standardized Letters Work

Medigap plans are labeled by letters — A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M, and N. (Plans C and F are no longer sold to people who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.) The letters aren't grades or rankings. They're categories of coverage that the federal government has standardized.

Here's the key idea: a Plan G from one insurance company covers exactly the same things as a Plan G from another company. The benefits inside each lettered plan are set by law. What can differ between companies is the price and the customer service.

Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin standardize their Medigap plans a little differently, but in Utah the lettered system applies as described above.

What Medigap Typically Helps Pay

Depending on which letter you choose, a Medigap policy may help with:

• Part A hospital coinsurance and extra hospital days after Medicare benefits are used up
• Part B coinsurance or copayments
• The first three pints of blood used in a medical procedure
• Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
• Part A deductible
• Foreign travel emergency care (up to plan limits)

What Medigap generally does not cover: long-term care, dental, vision, hearing aids, and prescription drugs. Those need separate coverage or out-of-pocket payment.

When You Can Buy a Medigap Policy

The best time to buy is during your Medigap Open Enrollment Period — a six-month window that starts the month you're 65 or older and enrolled in Part B. During this window, insurance companies can't turn you down or charge you more because of health problems. This is a federal right.

Outside that window, in most states insurers can use medical underwriting, which means they can look at your health history and decide whether to offer you a policy and at what price. That's why the six-month window matters so much.

How This Fits With the Rest of Medicare

Springville is in Utah County, where residents choose between staying with Original Medicare (often paired with a Medigap policy and a stand-alone Part D drug plan) or enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan. Plan availability for Advantage and Part D is set at the county level, and the number of options can change year to year.

A few 2026 facts worth keeping in mind as you weigh your choices:

• Part D now has an out-of-pocket cap of $2,100 for covered drugs in 2026.
• The maximum Part D deductible is $615.
• The old coverage gap ("donut hole") is gone — Part D has three phases now.
• The Medicare Prescription Payment Plan lets you spread drug costs into monthly payments if that helps your budget.
• IRMAA income-related surcharges begin above $109,000 for a single filer in 2026.
• Annual Enrollment Period: October 15 – December 7. Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment: January 1 – March 31.

Medigap has its own enrollment rules and isn't tied to the fall Annual Enrollment Period the way Advantage and Part D are.