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Idaho Medicare Supplement

Medicare is a national health insurance program designed mainly for senior citizens. Medicare comes in four different parts, each with its own set of benefits. They also come with their own series of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance amounts. Many seniors purchase Medicare supplemental plans, also called Medigap, to help them pay these extra costs. Medigap plan benefits are standardized across the U.S., but states can set limits on which ones or how many can be sold in their areas. In Idaho, Medigap is overseen by the state Department of Insurance.

  1. Basic Benefits

    • Plan A is the most basic Medigap supplement. It has the fewest benefits but is also the least expensive of all the standardized Medicare supplements. Plan A covers the hospital coinsurance amounts for original Medicare Part A for an additional 365 days after Medicare benefits are gone, the reasonable costs of the first three pints of blood you use per year, the Part B coinsurance and the copayments for hospice care. All other Medigap plans also offer these, plus their own benefits.

    Additional Benefits

    • Idaho sells nine other Medigap plans in addition to Plan A. Plan B adds Part B deductible coverage, while Plans C, D, G, M and N add skilled nursing facility coinsurance and benefits for medical emergencies that occur while you are traveling outside the U.S.

    Cost-Sharing Plans

    • Idaho Medigap Plans K, L and M are cost-sharing plans. They have the same benefits as other Medigap plans, such as coverage for the Part A deductible, blood costs and Parts A and B coinsurance, but some benefits are covered at 100 percent and some covered at 75 or 50 percent. Plan M offers 100-percent benefits for everything except the Part A deductible, which is covered at 50 percent. Plan L covers 50 percent of all benefits except the additional 365 days of hospital coinsurance costs, which it pays out at 100 percent. Plan L also pays 100 percent of the additional hospital stay days but only 75 percent of all other benefits.

    Plan F

    • Plan F offers all the benefits available through Medigap. However, it also has the highest monthly premiums. Idaho residents who would like the benefits of Plan F with lower monthly premiums can purchase a high-deductible version. Your monthly costs will be lower but you must reach an annual deductible before benefits begin.

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