Alaska Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap)

Medicare has a lot of wonderful available supplement plans for the residents of Alaska. While most senior health insurance supplements are handled by private insurance companies and do require a monthly premium they are an important element in total health care for elderly individuals.

Automatic Medicare (Part A) that is supplied by the Federal government only covers very basic needs and still has deductibles and co-payments. Getting extra coverage for necessities such as wheelchair rental, additional medical services, emergency medical transportation, all come under Part B, and Medicare Part C covers even more health care needs for seniors as well as combining Part A and B so that there is only one monthly premium and all of the messy paperwork is handled under one claim.

Prescription medicines for older patients are one of the biggest expenses they can incur and yet simple Medicare Part A does not cover them at all. The supplemental Medicare Part D is specifically designed to handle the costs of prescriptions. There is an 80/20 split and the patient must still pay 20 percent of the drug costs but the savings add up to be astronomical. None of the other Medicare supplements include prescription drug coverage so be sure to add that to your senior health insurance needs.

Even if a senior citizen elects not to pay monthly premiums for additional services they are still advised to seek supplemental Medicare insurance in the form of Medigap. Medigap helps cover the deductibles and co-payments that might be impossible for an older patient on a fixed income to afford.

Medicare also does not automatically cover vision or dental work. Alaska's Medicare Advantage plans have specific supplements that handle those issues for elderly patients. If you cannot afford any supplemental health insurance for seniors, or the left over expenses after all of the supplements have paid their share of your medical expenses contact 1-800-MEDICARE or the Alaskan State Medicaid Office to see if you are eligible for extra help paying your medical bills.