Each of the 10 Medigap plans covers the following medical costs:

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan A: This is not the same as Medicare Part A which is part of the “Original Medicare” coverage. This supplemental plan has minimal coverage compared to most of the other plans with coverage for the Original Medicare Parts A and B coinsurance, the first 3 pints of blood during hospitalization, and copays for hospice care.

Medicare Supplement Insurance Plan B: This supplement covers the same things as Medigap Plan A but additionally gives a policyholder coverage for the Original Medicare Part A deductible.

Medicare Supplement C Insurance: This is considered one of the more comprehensive Medicare supplemental insurance plans because it pays for all the deductibles, copays, and coinsurance costs under the Original Medicare Part A (for hospital services) and B (for outpatient and doctor visit services).

Medicare Supplement D Insurance: This Medigap is commonly confused with “Part D” which is Medicare prescription drug coverage. Medigap D is very much the same coverage as Medigap C with the only difference being that Medicare Supplement D does not cover the deductible amount for Original Medicare Part B.

Medicare Supplement F Insurance: This Medigap supplement is the most all-inclusive because it does not make any distinctions between what is not covered in the Original Medicare Parts A and B in terms of additional cost—it literally covers anything that is left in terms of the hospital, outpatient or doctor visit charges. This means it is the easiest to understand in terms of assessing your supplemental insurance coverage, and also the most popular Medigap coverage among Medicare recipients.

Medicare Supplement G Insurance: Medicare G Plan is most like the Medicare F supplement in that it covers everything that the F plan covers except the Original Medicare Part B deductible which is $183 as of 2018 federal pricing premiums. The following Medicare supplement plans have coverage based on a specific percentage:

Medigap Insurance Plan K: Although this plan covers all of the hospital costs incurred through coinsurance under Original Medicare Part A, the standard percentage of coverage for any other charges is 50%. Some costs beyond the 50% that are paid, are not covered at all. Because of the limited scope of coverage for this supplemental plan, many private insurance companies do not offer it.

Medigap Insurance Plan L: This plan is similar to supplemental plan K in that it covers 100% of the cost of Original Medicare Part A coinsurance, but its percentage of other covers increases to 75% with some of the additional charges also not being covered at all. This plan is rarely offered through private insurance as a supplemental to Original Medicare because it is also limited in the scope of its coverage for policyholders.

Medigap Insurance Plan M: This is a newer plan that has only been offered in the last eight years, and it was created so that Medicare recipients who are looking for a supplemental insurance to the Original Medicare Parts A and B can have 100% coverage on all categories of medical procedures under these plans. The excess charges incurred from Plan B as well as the $183 deductible are not covered though, but it does cover at least 50% of the Part A deductible if you have not put in enough work years and need to buy Part A yourself. As of 2018, this deductible is between $232-$422 per month depending on the coverage you chose.

Medigap coverage under the final of the ten Medigap plans gives the least amount of coverage for people who consider themselves in good health and in need of minimal supplemental coverage:

Medigap Insurance Plan N: For anyone who finds themselves over the age of 65 and still in relatively good health without having to visit the doctor too often, this plan is a solid choice for supplemental coverage. The deductible on Original Medicare Part B is not covered, nor are the excess charges that may result from outpatient care or doctors’ visits. There is also a cost-sharing component to the copays where the policyholder must pay $20 for every doctor visit and $50 when they go to the emergency at a hospital or urgent care center.

Travel outside of the US and Supplemental Coverage: All the Medicare supplemental plans with the exception of plans K and L offer overseas medical coverage of up to 80% for Medicare-approved medical services. An annual $250 deductible must be met in order for this percentage of coverage to be available. If you plan on traveling outside of the US for more than 60 consecutive days, then any medical emergency that occurs beyond this time will not be covered.