Can I keep my Medigap policy if I enroll in Medicare advantage?
Medicare Supplemental Insurance (Medigap) does not work with Medicare advantage plans and vice versa. You are supposed to select one or the other to add additional coverage to your original Medicare.
If you decide to keep, or forget to cancel your Medigap policy after you enroll in a Medicare advantage plan, you will have to pay both premiums, but your supplemental plan provider won’t pay any deductibles, co-payments, or coinsurance as long as you are covered under the advantage plan. So, if you want to enroll in Medicare advantage, you need to contact your insurance company and cancel your supplement plan.
Attention: If you, at a future date, may decide to drop your Medicare advantage plan and switch back to Medigap, you might not be able to get the same policy back that you previously had, or in some cases, get any other Medigap insurance. So, before you switch, check the plan benefits thoroughly and be aware of all limitations and exclusions the plan may have.
Vice versa, if you are enrolled in a Medicare advantage plan, you cannot buy a Medigap policy unless you switch back to Medicare. After you have switched back to original Medicare, you need to contact your current insurance provider to disenroll from the advantage plan before you can purchase a Medigap policy.
Make sure to check the enrollment dates, before you make a decision.
One advantage of Medicare supplements is that they may provide better coverage of health care providers as there is a larger number of doctors that accept supplement plans. Usually, if a health care provider accepts Medicare, they will most likely also accept your supplemental insurance. Medicare advantage plans on the other hand will restrict you to use the services of the health care providers that are part of the insurer’s network. This is one of the reasons why most advantage plans are able to offer you additional benefits at a lower premium.
So make sure to compare all your options before you switch from a Medicare supplement plan to Medicare advantage. For further questions, you may call your State Insurance Department.
