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Can I keep my Medigap (Medicare Supplement Insurance) policy if I join a Medicare Advantage Plan (like an HMO or PPO)?
Yes, you can keep it. However, you will have to keep paying your Premiums and you may get little or no benefit from it while you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan. If you join a Medicare Advantage Plan, your Medigap Policy can't pay any Deductibles, Copayments, or Coinsurance under your Medicare plan. Also, if your plan covers prescription drugs and you have a Medigap policy that covers prescription drugs, the drug coverage must be removed from the Medigap policy, and the premium changed. You can't have prescription coverage from both a Medigap policy and a Medicare drug plan. Medigap drug coverage is generally not as good as coverage under a Medicare drug plan. Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program if you need help deciding whether to keep your Medigap policy (see Other Important Medicare Contacts
for their telephone number).
In most cases, if you drop your Medigap Policy, you may not be able to get it back. However, if this is the first time you've joined a Medicare Advantage Plan, other Medicare plan, or bought a Medicare SELECT policy (a Medigap policy that requires you to use specific hospitals and, in some cases, specific doctors to get your full insurance benefits), you may have special Medigap protections that give you a right to get your old Medigap policy back or buy a new one if you choose to leave your Medicare Advantage Plan or other Medicare plan within the first year. In either case, the Medigap policy can't include prescription drug coverage. You may also be able to join a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan (Part D) if you leave your Medicare Advantage Plan the first year. Check with your State Health Insurance Assistance Program to see if your state offers other rights to buy Medigap policies. See Other Important Medicare Contacts
for their telephone number.
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For more information on Medigap policies and protections, visit www.medicare.gov on the web and view the booklet "Choosing a Medigap Policy: A Guide to Health Insurance for People with Medicare" or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
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(Primary Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - Medicare and You Handbook 2007. This content may have been added upon by Q1Group LLC to include further examples, explanations, and links.)
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Last updated on: 07/05/2009
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Life Insurance plays an important role in your families financial stability.
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