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Minnesota Medigap Policies

Most states offer 10 standardized Medicare supplement policies. These plans are meant to work with original Medicare Parts A and B to help close the gaps in Medicare coverage and help with the costs of co-insurance, extra charges, deductibles and co-payments. Minnesota, however, organizes its Medicare supplemental policies, often called Medigap, differently. Not all 10 Medigap policies are sold in Minnesota, but those that are meet or exceed the standards of the national Medigap plans.

  1. Basic

    • One of the three Medigap plans offered in Minnesota is the Basic plan. The Basic plan pays for the costs of the first three pints of blood you need per year, the cost-sharing for hospice and respite care, the Medicare Part A and Part B coinsurance, 20 percent of physical therapy, 50 percent of outpatient mental health services, the cost sharing for original Medicare's home health services, skilled nursing co-insurance and 80 percent of medical services required outside the United States for emergencies. Minnesota also allows Basic buyers to add optional riders to their plans for an additional charge. These include riders for preventive care not paid for by Medicare, the Part B annual deductible and the Part A hospital deductible.

    Extended Basic

    • Minnesota's Extended Basic offers the standard and optional benefits of the Basic plan, along with 100 percent coverage of foreign travel emergencies after the annual deductible is paid, 80 percent of non-emergency care received outside the U.S. and benefits for up to 120 days of skilled nursing facility co-insurance.

    Cost-Sharing Plans

    • In 2011, Minnesota also allowed insurance companies in the state to sell standard Medigap Plans K, L, M, N and the high-deductible Plan F. Plans K through N are cost-sharing plans, which means that they do not cover 100 percent of benefits like the other Minnesota Medigap plans do. However, their monthly premium payments are lower. Plan K covers 50 percent of the Part A deductible, skilled nursing facility co-insurance and other basic benefits. while Plan L covers 75 percent of the same. Plans K and L have annual out-of-pocket limits of $4,640 and $2,320 respectively. Plan M covers 50 percent of the Medicare Part A deductible, and Plan N requires a $50 co-pay for emergency room visits and a $20 co-pay for office visits. Minnesota's Plan F requires a $2,000 annual deductible before any services will be covered.

    Medicare SELECT

    • Two companies in Minnesota offer their Basic or Extended Basic Medigap policies as Medicare SELECT plans. These turn Minnesota Medigap plans into an HMO-style kind of insurance, where customers pay lower costs if they get their non-emergency medical services from inside a network of approved providers. Emergency services will still be covered under Medicare SELECT even if you do not go to a network provider.

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