What is the best medicare supplement insurance plan

To help you find the best Medicare Supplement plan for you, we’ve highlighted three of the most popular plans below.

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1. Blue Cross Blue Shield
2. AARP United Healthcare
Medigap policies are standardized
Medigap Plans
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You live in Massachusetts, Minnesota, or Wisconsin
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1. Blue Cross Blue Shield

According to Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), Plans F and N are available in most areas. When you purchase a Medicare Supplement insurance policy from BCBS, you will have access to the following benefits:

A 30-day “free look” period—This means once you have your Medicare Supplement plan with BCBS, you are allowed 30 days to review the coverage. If you decide to change your mind within this period of time, you can get a full refund.
Gym benefit (in some states)—You’ll have free gym access to several fitness clubs and exercise classes.
Household discounts—If you and someone that lives with you both have a BCBS Medicare Supplement insurance plan, you may be eligible for a 5 percent discount on your premium.
Portable coverage—You can use your BCBS Medicare Supplement insurance plan anywhere in the U.S. that accepts Medicare.
Provider options—You can use any doctor who accepts Medicare.

BCBS Plan F has been the most popular and the most comprehensive plan, but it’s no longer available to new enrollees. The good news is if you had it before January 1, 2020, you can keep it.

With Plan F, you are covered for an array of benefits. These benefits include 100 percent coverage for:

Your Part A Medicare coinsurance and hospital costs (up to 365 additional days after Medicare benefits are used up)
Your Medicare Part B coinsurance or copayment
Part A Hospice Care coinsurance or copayment
Skilled nursing facility coinsurance
Part A and Part B deductibles
Part B excess charges
Emergencies for foreign travel (up to $50,000)
The first three pints of blood for a blood transfusion

Many seniors are now choosing Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Medicare Supplement Plan G. The only difference between Plan G and Plan F is that it won’t cover your Medicare Part B annual deductible (which is $203 in 2021). For this reason, the premium for Plan G is often less than that of Plan F.

2. AARP United Healthcare

The United Healthcare Medicare Supplement plan is also very popular. It offers Plans A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, and N.

These plans include:

Low or no out-of-pocket copays, coinsurance fees, or deductibles
Coverage with plan features that stay the same from year to year
Prescription drug plans (Medicare Part D) that will work with your United Healthcare Medicare Supplement plan
The option to keep your doctor (you can choose from any doctors or hospitals that accept Medicare patients, without the need for referrals)
A Medicare Supplement plan you can use anywhere in the U.S.
Plan C, F, and G that offer emergency coverage for foreign travel

3. Humana

Humana is one of the largest medical providers in the U.S., offering a diverse line of insurance products. You can choose from its popular Medicare Supplement plans A, B, C, G, F, and K.

Here’s what these plans offer:

Plan A covers primary benefits like coinsurance for hospital benefits, your Part B coinsurance or copayment, your first three pints of blood, and your hospice care coinsurance or copayment.
Plan B covers the above, as well as your Part A deductible.
Plan C covers the above, as well as hospice care and skilled nursing facility coinsurance, your Part B deductible, and foreign travel.
Plan F covers the above, as well as any Part B excess charges.
Plan G covers the above, less your Part B deductible.
Plan K covers only Part A coinsurance or copayments, 50 percent of Part B coinsurance or copayments, 50 percent of hospice care coinsurance or copayment, 50 percent of skilled nursing facility care coinsurance and 50 percent of your Medicare Part A deductible. The Plan K out-of-pocket maximum is $6,220 in 2021.
Plan L covers what Plan K covers but 75 percent rather than 50 percent. The Plan L out-of-pocket maximum is $3,110 in 2021.
Plan N covers only a $20 copay for office visits and a $50 copay for emergency room visits. Otherwise, it covers everything in Plan G, less your Medicare Part B excess charges.

RELATED: Learn about Humana’s Medicare Advantage plan options

Find out which insurance companies sell Medigap policies in your area.

Medigap policies are standardized

Every Medigap policy must follow federal and state laws designed to protect you, and it must be clearly identified as "Medicare Supplement Insurance." Insurance companies can sell you only a standardized policy identified in most states by letters.

All policies offer the same basic

benefits [glossary]

but some offer additional benefits, so you can choose which one meets your needs. In Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, Medigap policies are standardized in a different way.

Each insurance company decides which Medigap policies it wants to sell, although state laws might affect which ones they offer. Insurance companies that sell Medigap policies:

Don't have to offer every Medigap plan
Must offer Medigap Plan A if they offer any Medigap policy
Must also offer Plan C or Plan F if they offer any plan

Medigap Plans

Compare Medigap plans side-by-side

The chart below shows basic information about the different benefits Medigap policies cover.

= the plan covers 100% of this benefit
= the policy doesn't cover that benefit % = the plan covers that percentage of this benefit

N/A = not applicable

Compare Medigap Plans

Medigap Benefits
Plan A	Plan B	Plan C	Plan D	Plan F*	Plan G*	Plan K	Plan L	Plan M	Plan N
Part A coinsurance and hospital costs up to an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are used up
Part B coinsurance or copayment							50%	75%		***
Blood (first 3 pints)							50%	75%
Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment							50%	75%
Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance							50%	75%
Part A deductible							50%	75%	50%
Part B deductible
Part B excess charge
Foreign travel exchange (up to plan limits)			80%	80%	80%	80%			80%	80%
Out-of-pocket limit**	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	$6,620 in 2022	$3,310 in 2022	N/A	N/A

* Plans F and G also offer a high-deductible plan in some states. With this option, you must pay for Medicare-covered costs (coinsurance, copayments, and deductibles) up to the deductible amount of$2,490 in 2022 before your policy pays anything. (Plans C and F aren't available to people who were newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.)

** For Plans K and L, after you meet your out-of-pocket yearly limit and your yearly Part B deductible, the Medigap plan pays 100% of covered services for the rest of the calendar year.

*** Plan N pays 100% of the Part B coinsurance, except for a copayment of up to $20 for some office visits and up to a $50 copayment for emergency room visits that don't result in inpatient admission.