Medicare Supplement Plans for Wisconsin

Traditional Medicare benefits include in-patient and out-patient hospital services, doctor's visits and home health services. However, there are medical services not covered by original Medicare, leading certain seniors to purchase supplemental plans. As of 2010, there are 10 standardized supplemental Medicare plans, also called Medigap. Individual states are allowed to choose which ones may be sold in their areas; Wisconsin, along with Minnesota and Massachusetts, doesn't permit all 10.

Wisconsin Basic

• The state of Wisconsin requires that all Medicare supplemental policies sold in the state offer the same basic benefits. These include the costs of the first three pints of blood yearly, 40 extra home health-care visits in addition to those paid for by Medicare, coverage for 30 days in a non-Medicare skilled nursing facility with no prior hospitalization, and 175 extra days per lifetime of in-patient psychiatric services over Medicare's 90 days. Traditional insurance companies offering the basic plans can also add optional benefits such as Medicare Part B excess charges, additional home health-care visits, coverage for the Part A and Part B Medicare deductibles and foreign travel emergency services. Insurance companies can also add coverage for routine physical exams, health screenings, vaccinations and private-duty nurses if they so desire. These extra benefits may result in additional premium costs.

Wisconsin Cost-Sharing

• Residents of Wisconsin can also purchase Medigap plans as cost-sharing policies. There are two kinds of these policies: one in which the insurance company covers 50 percent of services and one where it covers 75 percent. These policies must offer the same basic benefits as the others. They can also feature the optional benefits. Cost-sharing policies generally result in lower monthly premiums.

Medicare Select

• Wisconsin's Medigap policies are available in two ways. The traditional plans allow you to go to any doctor you like, but you're billed for your services and have to fill out your claims and paperwork yourself. All supplemental Medicare plans in Wisconsin are also offered as Medicare Select plans, which are health maintenance organization --- or HMO --- policies. These HMO plans usually result in higher monthly premiums but little paperwork and few or no copays for services. Medicare Select policies offer similar basic and optional benefits as non-HMO plans. The foreign travel emergency coverage is included as a basic service with Medicare Select plans.

High-Deductible Plan

• Beginning on June 1, 2010, Wisconsin also allows a high-deductible Medigap plan to be sold in Wisconsin. The high-deductible plan offers the same benefits as the others but only begins paying for services after customers pay the calendar year deductible of $2,000 themselves. This includes the Medicare Part A and Part B deductibles but doesn't include the $250 deductible for foreign travel emergencies.