In prior articles I explained the basic rules of Medicare in the United States: Medicare is health insurance for people who are older than 65. Most people get Part A - inpatient care in hospitals - free and automatically. Part B, which covers doctors' services and outpatient care, usually costs a modest premium each month. Parts A and B were the "original" Medicare health plans. Since they don't cover everything, the government came up with Part C and Part D. Part C, sometimes called Medicare Advantage, lets people get coverage through an HMO or other private insurance. Part D helps to cover prescription drugs. Unfortunately, it's all quite confusing and I always recommend people get good advice from a Medicare expert. Further, there is often a need for private supplemental health insurance. These are generally regulated from state to state, and this is where your Texas Medicare Supplement comes in.

Medicare supplement insurance, also called "Medigap" because it fills gaps in the original plans, is available to people who are enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B. What are those gaps? Mainly the increasing flood of co-payments and deductibles, but also areas that the original Medicare simply wasn't designed to cover or only provides limited coverage for. This could also include nursing facility co-insurance, foreign travel, certain preventive care costs, and more. If one or more of these areas is important to you, you need to look into supplemental Medigap insurance.

While Medigap is standardized it must follow State laws, which is why there are Texas Medicare supplements that are a bit different from those available in other states). In total, there currently are 12 Medigap plans, named Plan A through Plan L. Each Medigap plan offers a different set of benefits, and costs can vary. Note that the benefits for each of the twelve Medigap plans is always the same, no matter what insurance company you buy Medigap supplements from. Costs, however, can vary from company to company.

On the surface, all those many Medigap plans look confusing and many people do not get Medigap because they think Medicare will cover whatever health expenses they have. Unfortunately, with the ever-escalating healthcare costs, even co-payments and deductibles can add up to large amounts, and items that are not covered can quickly become prohibitively expensive. This is why some sort of Texas Medicare supplement insurance is important. It can provide peace of mind and financial stability.

Note that there are significant overlaps between Medigap plans. Several of them provide almost, but not quite, the same coverage and it's important to pick the right one. It also makes no sense to pay for benefits that are already covered elsewhere. For example, Medigap plans E and I appear to offer virtually the same benefits, but if you look closer you see that Plan I covers excess Medicare Part B charges and at-home recovery and Plan E doesn't, but Plan E covers preventive care not covered by Medicare. Likewise, if a person already has good coverage, one of the more basic Medigap plans may be all that's needed.

If you get the idea that obtaining proper coverage is a bit complex, you're right. This is one area where getting advice from experts really helps (and pays). The government has some good information that explains all the options. Better yet, consult with an expert in Texas Medicare supplements.