Medicare Supplement Plans in Arizona

Medicare Supplement Insurance, commonly called Medigap, is private insurance designed to work with Original Medicare.

It helps pay specified Medicare Part A and Part B cost sharing. Medigap is not Medicare Advantage, and you cannot use a Medigap policy to cover Medicare Advantage copayments, deductibles or coinsurance.

Medigap plans are standardized

In Arizona, Medigap uses the federal standardized plan-letter structure.

For the same standardized plan letter, the core Medicare-covered benefits are the same regardless of which insurance company sells the policy. Premiums, availability and insurer-specific factors can differ.

That means comparing a Medigap policy involves two different decisions:

Which standardized benefit design fits you?

and

Which insurer’s available policy and price fit you?

Medicare provides a side-by-side standardized benefits chart for Plans A through N.

Plan G

Plan G is one of the standardized Medigap plans available to people who meet the applicable eligibility and enrollment requirements.

For people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020, Medigap plans are not permitted to cover the Medicare Part B deductible. That is why Plan F is not available to people newly eligible for Medicare in that group, while Plan G remains available.

Plan G should not automatically be described as “the best” plan. Compare its standardized benefits and premium against other available Medigap options.

Plan N

Plan N is another standardized Medigap option.

Under the standardized benefit design, Plan N covers most Part B coinsurance but allows specified copayments for certain office and emergency-room visits and does not cover Part B excess charges.

Whether those differences are worthwhile depends on your preferences, expected use and available premiums.

Who can still buy Plan F?

Plan F generally is not available to people who became newly eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.

People who were eligible for Medicare before that date may still be able to purchase Plan F if it is available to them, even if they did not previously own the policy.

Eligibility should be verified rather than assumed from age alone.

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period matters

Your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period generally starts the first month you have Medicare Part B and are age 65 or older.

During this period, federal protections give you important rights to purchase Medigap coverage.

Outside that period, an insurer may be permitted to use medical underwriting unless you qualify for a guaranteed-issue right or other applicable protection. That can affect whether an insurer will issue a policy and what options are available.

Do not cancel existing Medigap coverage until replacement coverage and its effective date are confirmed.

Guaranteed-issue rights

Certain situations create federal Medigap guaranteed-issue protections.

The exact rule depends on what happened to your previous coverage and when you apply. Documentation and time limits can matter.

If you are changing coverage because a plan ended, you moved, employer coverage ended, or you are exercising a Medicare Advantage trial right, verify the specific rule before taking action.

What if you have Medicare before age 65?

Federal law generally does not require insurers to sell every Medigap policy to Medicare beneficiaries under age 65.

Arizona DIFI’s current carrier information identifies insurers and plans marketed in Arizona and separately indicates whether individual carriers offer policies to people under 65. Availability should therefore be checked using current Arizona information rather than assumed.

Arizona Medicare Supplement resources

Arizona’s Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions publishes:

• Medicare consumer resources
• the Medicare & You handbook
• Medigap guidance
• a current list of insurance companies marketing Medicare Supplement policies in Arizona

DIFI also accepts insurance consumer questions and complaints.

What is the best Medicare Supplement plan in Arizona?

There is no one plan letter or insurance company that is automatically best for every Arizona beneficiary.

Compare:

Standardized benefits

What gaps does the plan pay?

Premium

What is the current premium for your situation?

Future affordability

Ask how premiums are established and how they may change.

Enrollment rights

Are you in Medigap Open Enrollment, protected by guaranteed issue, or subject to underwriting?

Availability

Is the policy currently offered to you in Arizona?

Insurer service

Understand how the insurer administers the policy and where to obtain help.

Medigap versus Medicare Advantage

Medigap and Medicare Advantage should not be treated as interchangeable versions of the same product.

With Original Medicare plus Medigap, Original Medicare remains your primary Medicare coverage.

With Medicare Advantage, the Medicare Advantage plan administers your Medicare-covered Part A and Part B benefits under the plan’s rules.

Medicare Advantage vs. Medicare Supplement

Prescription drug coverage

Modern Medigap policies do not include Medicare prescription drug coverage.

If you use Original Medicare with Medigap and want Medicare drug coverage, you can generally consider a separate Part D plan.

Arizona Medicare Part D

Need help reviewing Medigap in Arizona?

Wise Owl can route an assistance request to an appropriately licensed agent.

Request an Arizona Medicare Review

Official sources

• Medicare.gov — Medigap basics
• Arizona DIFI — Health Insurance Consumer Information

Changing Medigap plans in Arizona

Do not assume Medicare’s annual fall Open Enrollment Period gives you a guaranteed right to change Medigap policies.

In most cases, a beneficiary does not have a federal right to switch Medigap policies outside the six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period unless a guaranteed-issue right applies.

An insurer may be allowed to use medical underwriting.

Confirm replacement coverage before canceling existing Medigap coverage.