Medicare Supplement insurance is designed to provide additional coverage to Medicare beneficiaries.  As you are probably aware, Medicare is a federal health insurance program primarily for Americans age 65 and older who meet eligibility requirements.  It consists of two parts: Part A (required) which covers hospital insurance and Part B (optional) covering medical insurance.  Additional information is available from the federal government's Medicare website.

However, Medicare insurance does not pay the full cost of services or supplies leaving a significant amount of hospital and medical treatment costs for the patient to pay.  These "gaps" occur in three general areas:

Medicare supplement insurance, also known as "Medigap" insurance, may be purchased to fill some of these "gaps".  By federal law, Medicare supplement policies must be in the form of one of ten standardized plans labeled "A" through "J".  Each plan has a unique set of standardized benefits which insurance companies must offer.  Plan A offers the least amount of benefits while plan J offers the most.  (Residents of Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin have their own state versions of these plans.)

To qualify for Medicare supplement insurance you generally must be age 65 or older and already covered under Medicare Part A and Part B.  If you are under 65 you may be able to purchase Medicare supplement insurance if you are disabled or have permanent kidney failure.

Select the medicare supplement plan that best meets your medical needs and fits your budget.  Look under "More Info" above for details.