How to Pick Medicare Supplemental Insurance

Being without health insurance or inadequately covered is frightening no matter what your age, but for seniors on fixed incomes, the prospect is even more distressing. Seniors often experience sticker shock when they realize that their Medicare coverage doesn't include all health care expenses, including certain physician's visits, diagnostic tests and prescription drugs. A supplemental Medicare insurance policy can pick up where Medicare leaves off, offering extended coverage for physicians, procedures and prescriptions that would otherwise prove too expensive. Medicare supplemental policies are available in an array of options.

Instructions

• 1

  Determine which Medicare program you're enrolled in. If you have a Medicare Advantage Plan, you're not eligible for supplemental policies, also known as Medigap policies. If you have Original Medicare, you can choose from a number of Medigap policies.

• 2

  Find out whether you have, or have access to, another health insurance plan through a pension plan or a spouse's employer plan. Those with pension health insurance, health insurance offered by a retirement plan, or coverage through a spouse's employer may not need a Medigap plan, as these health insurance plans often cover expenses not included in Medicare coverage. If you do have coverage under one of these options, talk with your insurance administrator to determine what your coverage pays for.

• 3

  Determine what your health care needs are and how much you can afford to pay for a supplemental policy. Depending upon the state of your health, any prescription drugs you're prescribed or whether you're often hospitalized, the Medigap policy you need varies, both in benefits included and in price. Policies that offer the most coverage are, naturally, the most expensive; however, depending upon how much you spend on your health care costs, the cost may be recouped.