Medicare Supplement

What a Medicare Supplement does

 

Original Medicare covers a lot, but it does not cover everything, and it has no annual limit on what you can be asked to pay out of pocket. A Medicare Supplement — commonly called Medigap — is a policy you add on top to close those gaps. You stay enrolled in Original Medicare and it remains your primary coverage. Medicare pays its share of a claim first, then your Medigap policy picks up most or all of what is left: the Part A hospital deductible, the 20% Part B coinsurance, and hospital costs beyond what Medicare covers.

 

That is a different structure from a Medicare Advantage plan, which takes over as your coverage instead of adding to it. With a supplement, nothing about your Medicare changes — you are simply adding a second payer behind it.

 

Because you stay on Original Medicare, there is no network. Any provider in the country who accepts Medicare accepts your supplement. No referrals, no prior authorization from the supplement carrier, no worrying about whether a specialist across the state or a hospital in Florida is contracted.

 

Medigap does not include prescription drug coverage. You buy a standalone Part D plan alongside it, which we set up at the same time.

 

Which plan letters actually apply to you

 

Medigap plans are federally standardized by letter, so Plan G from one carrier covers exactly the same things as Plan G from another. Only the price and the company's service differ — which is the entire reason to shop it rather than take the first quote you get.

 

There are ten letters in circulation, but the practical field is narrower than that. Most people newly eligible today are choosing between Plan G and Plan N, with high-deductible Plan G worth a look if you want the lowest possible premium. If you became eligible before 2020 and already hold a Plan F, that stays in force and is still worth re-shopping for price.

 

Plan G is the most common landing spot. It covers everything except the annual Part B deductible, which means after that one deductible your covered Medicare costs are essentially handled.

 

Plan N has a lower premium in exchange for small copays — up to $20 for office visits and up to $50 for emergency room visits that do not result in admission — and it does not cover Part B excess charges. For many clients the annual premium savings outweigh those copays, and for others it does not. That math is worth running rather than guessing.

 

Anyone who became eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 cannot buy Plan F or Plan C at all. Michigan reassigns those applicants to Plan G and Plan D respectively. That single rule is why the conversation for most new enrollees comes down to G versus N.

 

We will walk you through whichever letters fit your situation — there is no house plan we push you toward.

 

Michigan's underwriting rules, and why timing matters

 

This is the single most important thing on this page.

 

Your Medigap Open Enrollment Period is a one-time, six-month window that starts the first month you are both 65 or older and enrolled in Medicare Part B. During those six months, a carrier cannot refuse you, cannot charge you more, and cannot use medical underwriting, regardless of your health history.

 

After that window closes, Michigan lets carriers apply full medical underwriting. You can be rated up or declined outright based on your health conditions. Michigan has no birthday rule and no annual guaranteed-issue window for Medigap the way some states do.

 

The practical consequence: if you choose a Medicare Advantage plan at 65 and want to move to a supplement at 70 after a health event, you may not be able to. That is not a reason to avoid Advantage — it is a reason to make the decision deliberately the first time.

 

There are limited guaranteed issue rights that open outside your initial window, generally when other coverage changes or is involuntarily lost. If one applies, you have 63 days to act.

 

What a supplement costs

 

Medigap premiums are age-, location-, and tobacco-rated, and they increase over time. That is the honest tradeoff against Advantage: a higher, rising monthly premium in exchange for very predictable medical bills and total provider freedom.

 

Michigan has strong carrier competition on Plan G, so the same standardized coverage can differ meaningfully in price between companies. We quote across carriers rather than defaulting to one.

 

We write Medicare Supplement coverage for clients across Muskegon County and the lakeshore, including Norton Shores, Fruitport, North Muskegon, Whitehall, Montague, Spring Lake, Grand Haven, and Coopersville.

 

Get a Medigap quote

 

We will talk through which plan letters make sense for you, then quote them across the carriers available in your area so you can see the real price difference on identical coverage. If you are outside your six-month window, we will also give you a straight read on your underwriting odds before you apply anywhere.

 

Brendon Enders is a licensed Medicare agent at Lakeshore Employee Benefits. There is no cost and no obligation. Reach out whichever way is easiest for you.

 

Call (231) 798-0072 | Email brendon@lebmi.com | Book a 30-minute appointment online

 

Underwriting outcomes vary by carrier and are never guaranteed. Confirm your specific enrollment rights with Medicare.gov, Michigan DIFS at 877-999-6442, or Michigan's SHIP program at 800-803-7174.