Medicare Supplement Coverage

Medicare supplement coverage can be very important to all who are eligible for Medicare. If an illness or accident occurs that requires weeks or even months of medical care the recipient could find themselves responsible for astronomical medical bills.Although Medicare pays a very large portion of medical bills incurred by medicare patients, like many private insurance policies it only covers up to 80% of the total bill. For this reason the average person is going to need Medicare supplement coverage.Medicare supplement coverage has obtained the name of Medigap. The reason for this is it will cover the gaps left in the medical bills where Medicare has stopped paying.

Though Medicare and its medical plans are run by the Federal Government, Medigap must be purchased from private insurance companies. To protect the Medicare recipient these companies and the plans they provide are very closely regulated by a number of rules and requirements that must be adhered to.The two basic Medicare plans are Plans A and B. Plan A covers hospital cost while Plan B covers doctors, required lab work, services and a number of other items. Medicare Enrollment However, as previously stated, these plans only cover up to 80% and a long term illness very easily leave a huge amount of the medical bills owed by the patient. There are other plans available but these are the most widely used.For those who are just beginning to gather information on this subject an important thing to know about is the deadline involved in acquiring Medicare supplement coverage. This deadline must be met within a six month period of the date you become eligible for Medicare. During this period a physical is not required and pre-existing conditions are not relevant. This could make a huge difference in the price of coverage for many individuals.Another important piece of information concerning supplement coverage is the policies are identical no matter what company you enroll with or what price you pay.

Medicare supplement coverage has a number of plans available and they have all been assigned a letter. The plans are standardized so that the coverage is exactly the same in with all companies. This means it is a very wise thing to shop around for a policy before purchasing one. Although the government requires the plan coverage be the same, they permit the companies to decide on the premium price they are going to charge. This means there can be a large price difference from one company to the next even though the coverage is the exact same as required by the government.