Signing Up For Supplemental Medicare
Supplemental Medicare is a plan that includes those medical costs on a person’s bill that Medicare itself does not. In relation to making a payment for a medical procedure, Medicare pays 80% of the medical bill; and Medicare supplement will pay the remaining 20% and if at all any other payment is required then, the person will have to pay it off as an out -of -pocket expense.
To date there are 12 Medicare supplement plans ranging from A to L. These provide different types of coverage. All these plans fall under the Medigap title and thus are referred to as Medigap plans.
To signup for Supplemental Medicare, the following procedure must be followed:
* Privately owned companies do sell Medigap plans. Hence, the premium is a bit high as well. These plans may prove costly for persons who do not need their policies very often. However, for individuals who need hospitals and doctors regularly, these plans may prove to be useful. It is for this reason that a person wanting to go for Medigap, should list down all the medical services that, he/she requires annually. Then one should figure out, what percentage of those medical bills are paid by Medicare and just how much does he or she have to spend as out-of-pocket expenses.
* As mentioned previously, there are 12 varieties of Medigap plans which range from A to L. These plans provide different kinds and degrees of coverage, that Medicare originally does not provide. Hence, you must look out for the Medigap plan that provides maximum secondary coverage to the sort of medical expenses which maybe incurred by the beneficiary. It is imperative that you know which Medigap plan offers coverage in the neighborhood you reside in, as some Medigap plans will not provide coverage in certain geographical areas. It is also important to know which companies (Medigap providers) offer, which plans. Anybody can obtain all this information from the state department of insurance.
* Since the federal government standardized Medicare Supplemental plans in 1992, the benefits offered by the plans will not change regardless of which Medigap provider sells them. If something varies, among what different Medigap Providers have to offer, it is, the cost of the plans (premiums) and the quality of customer service. Hence, one must look at which plan provides maximum coverage and which provider offers the plan/s at the most affordable and reasonable rates. Once one decides which provider suits him/her best, the provider will guide him/her through the procedure for enrollment.
