Florida Medicare Supplemental Insurance Plans

Medicare was created in 1965 with the signing of that year's Social Security Act. The national health program for seniors was made up of only two parts at the time, called A and B. Parts A and B, original Medicare, has many copays, coinsurance costs and deductibles. Many seniors need Medicare supplements to help pay for them. The plans are standardized across the country, but each state approves which plans can be sold in their area. As of 2011, Florida has approved 10 different Medigap plans.

Core Benefits

• All Medicare supplements sold in Florida are required to feature certain core benefits. These include the reasonable costs of the first three pints of blood you need per year, coverage of the Part A hospital coinsurance costs, an additional 365 days of hospital days, coinsurance for Part A hospice care and coverage of Part B coinsurance. Plan A, the least expensive plan, has nothing but the core benefits, while others have both these and additional benefits.

Additional Benefits

• Along with the core benefits, you are able to purchase extra coverage and benefits through other Florida Medigap plans. Plans C, D, E, F, G, K, K, M and N all have coverage for skilled nursing facility coinsurance and the Part A deductible. Part B doesn't have coverage for skilled nursing facilities but does cover the deductible for Part A. Plans F and G offer benefits for the Part B excess doctor fees. Plans C, D, E, F, G, M and N offer the foreign travel emergency benefit for medical emergencies, which occur while you are traveling outside the United States.

Cost Sharing

• Some Florida Medicare supplements use cost sharing to decrease monthly premiums. While most plans cover benefits at 100 percent, Plans K and L cover benefits at 50 and 75 percent, with annual out-of-pocket limits. Plan N, new in 2010, covers everything at 100 percent, but does require a copay for office visits and emergency room visits which do not result in an admission.

Plan F

• Plan F is the only Florida Medigap plan which features all currently available benefits. Plan F also has the highest monthly premiums. However, a high-deductible version of Plan F, with lower premiums, also is available in Florida. This amount can change every year, but as of 2011, the yearly deductible for high-deductible Plan F was $2,000.

Medicare Select

• Some states, including Florida, allow some or all Medicare supplements to be sold as a Medicare Select option. Medicare Select lets users buy their Medigap plans in an HMO-style policy, where medical services must be obtained from inside an approved network of providers. As of June 1, 2010, only Plans C and F can be sold as Medicare Select in Florida.