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List of Ohio Medicare Supplements

Medicare is health insurance program for seniors in the United States. Medicare is funded and and regulated at the national level, but allows vendors approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to sell both the major Medicare plans and supplemental Medicare plans, often called Medigap because they fill in benefits and coverage not offered along with regular Medicare. Medigap benefits are standardized, but each state oversees the plans sold in its area. In Ohio, the state Department of Insurance is in charge of managing Medigap, which it has named MedSup.

  1. Ohio MediSup Plans

    • As of 2011, the MedSup plans offered in Ohio were plans A through D, F, G and K through N. All companies that sell Plan A in Ohio must also offer Plan C or Plan F. Plan A is the most basic, and all other plans include its essential benefits while adding others.

    Basic Benefits

    • Basic MedSup benefits covers the hospital costs for a minimum of 515 continuous days of inpatient care. Since 90 of these days are renewable, you can get more than 515 days of coverage if you check in and out of the hospital. These benefits do not kick in until you have paid the Part A Medicare annual deductible. Other basic benefits in Ohio are 100 coverage for all Part B medical expenses and all costs for blood after the yearly deductible is met.

    Not Covered

    • No MedSup plan in Ohio offers certain services, such as eyeglasses, dental care, hearing aids, private-duty nursing care, vision, prescription medication or any kind of long-term care. Some or all of these benefits may be available through a Medicare Advantage plan, however.

    High-Deductible Plan F

    • MedSup Plan F is offered as both a regular policy and as a one with a high annual deductible. Both have the same benefits, such as 100 percent of the Part B Medicare excess charges, coverage for medical emergencies which happen while traveling outside the United States and coinsurance for skilled nursing facilities. However, benefits for the alternative Plan F do not start until you have paid an annual deductible. In 2011, the Plan F deductible was $2,000. The high deductible helps keep the plan's monthly premiums less expensive than they would be otherwise.

    Cost-Sharing Plans

    • Ohio MedSup Plans K, L and M are all cost-sharing plans, which also helps to lower the monthly premiums. Plan K covers 50 percent of the costs of Part A and Part B coinsurance, Plan L covers the same at 75 percent and Plan M covers the Part A coinsurance only at 50 percent. Plans K and L also have annual out-of-pocket limits, but Plan M does not. Plan K's limit is $4,620 per year as of 2011, and Plan L's is exactly half that at $2,310.

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