Kansas Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap)

Getting the right health insurance for seniors is a prime concern once individuals reach the age of 65. For some the simple Medicare Part A is not enough to cover their more intensive medical needs. Because Medicare Part A which is automatically supplied by the federal government does not include many services, has deductibles and co-payments that can be difficult for many seniors to afford, and is lacking in one of the major senior health insurance requirements—prescription medicines, many seniors opt for extra coverage provided by private health care institutions.

Medicare Part B is one extra government regulated and provided addition that seniors can opt for. This portion of Medicare supplemental insurance extends the typical services of Medicare Part A but has both a monthly premium and out of pocket expenses such as deductibles and co-pays associated with it. Medicare Part B also still does not cover prescription medicines. The main benefit of Medicare Part B is that your premium monthly payments can be set up to be deducted from your social security each month automatically. This saves you the headache of remembering to pay your health insurance bill. However, because of its limits many seniors need more.

If you have both Medicare Part A, and Medicare Part B you can seek additional coverage from private health insurance companies called Medicare Advantage, or Part C. This extra coverage is sometimes also called Medigap because it helps bridge the gap to cover deductibles and services not covered by traditional Medicare. Another very important Medicare supplemental insurance is Medicare Part D. This is the only Medicare supplement that covers the cost of prescription medicines.

Both Medicare Part C and Part D are only available through private companies but they are generally easy for residents of Kansas to find and obtain. If you need any help figuring out what you need or can afford there are easy ways to get the information online, or you can call your Medicare office at 1-800-MEDICARE. This line is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week to help answer any further questions you might have about Medicare coverage and what Medicare does not pay.