For the Americans who aren’t satisfied with the health coverage provided by Original Medicare, there is some good news: Now they have choices.

In particular, these choices will allow them to find supplemental insurance more suitable to their needs. It will also help them cover the payment of some healthcare costs that were not previously covered by either Medicare Part A or Part B.

However, there is also some bad news for the same people. The innumerable choices at their disposal can become overwhelming.

For instance, they will have to make a choice between two Medicare Plans i.e. either Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement Insurance.

If one decides to opt for Medical Supplement Insurance, commonly known as Medicare supplement or Medigap, one will have to make even more choices. Particularly, they will have to choose from 10 individual Medicare supplement plans.

These 10 individual Medicare supplement plans might discourage people from making a choice since they may get overwhelmed and exasperated from the sheer number of choices available to them.

However, you may not have to go through this ordeal. There is a simple solution. One particular Medicare supplement plan has been found to be far more popular than the others. Which one, you ask? Plan F, more commonly known as Medicare Part F. In fact, people have given it several names such as Medigap Plan F, Medicare Supplement Plan F, Medicare Plan F, and Medicare supplement Plan F. However, they all mean the same thing and they will all be featured in this article.

However, just because many Americans have chosen Medicare Part F, does that mean that you must join the wagon too? Absolutely not. You must educate yourself on its costs and the coverage it provides to make a sound decision. Although, after doing so, you may conclude that “Plan F” is the correct Medicare supplement plan for your needs.

Below are the FAQs with detailed answers about the Medicare Supplement Plan F.

Part F is a Medicare supplement plan among the 10 individual Medicare supplement policies. Americans who were covered under the Original Medicare can now purchase Medicare Part F if they require additional medical insurance. (It is recommended for people who want help with payments for their previous Medicare Part A and B.)

Apart from that, Part F is the only all rounding Medicare Supplement available today. This means that it will help fill all the payment gaps that were left uncovered by Medicare Part A and B. In short, it means that people who purchase Part F will almost never have to pay directly to their doctors when they need medical assistance.

The major reason why Medicare Supplement Plan F is important is that it is the only Medicare supplement Plan in the market that provides maximum coverage.

Additionally, as mentioned above, Plan F is the most in-demand Medicare supplement plan that private insurance companies offer currently. In fact, as claimed by a few reports, 56 – 66 % of people who purchase Medigap or Medicare supplement also opt for Plan F.

What does Medicare Supplement Plan F cover?

By now it must be apparent to you that Plan F offers the most all-rounded coverage than all other Medicare supplement Policies. However, it is important to understand what that means.

In the authority of medicare.gov, Medicare supplement Plan F will cover the cost for everything in the list below:

 

• Medicare Part A tax-deductible

• Medicare Part B tax-deductible

• Part A coinsurance and hospital expenses up to an additional 365 days after you’ve used up your standard Medicare benefits

• Part A hospice care coinsurance or copayment

• Part B coinsurance or copayment

• Part B excess charge

• Skilled nursing facility care coinsurance

• Blood (first three pints each year)

Comparing Medicare Part or Plan F to all other 9 Medicare supplement plans available can be extremely overwhelming. Therefore, we will focus on the comparison between Part F and the next most popular Medicare Supplement policy after Part F i.e. Part/Plan G.

The one and the only difference between Medicare supplement Plan F and Plan G is that the Plan G does not cover your Medicare Plan B deductibles, while Plan F pays for it. There are no other differences between the two Medicare supplement Plans apart from this.

The reason why Plan/Part G is the next best Medicare supplement policy after Plan/Part F is that only these two Medicare supplement plans pay for the excess charges of Medicare Part B among the 10 different Medicare supplement policies. Medicare supplement Plan F or G is recommended for people who value lower out-of-pocket payments over the other eight plans sold by insurers.

The most important thing to know while learning how a Medicare Supplement plan works is that a person must be insured under Original Medicare or Medicare Part A and B before enrolling in Plan F, which will then start paying off the payment gaps in Medicare.

Once a person has been enrolled in a Medicare Plan and then further enrolled in Plan or Part F, Medicare pays their part of the agreed-upon healthcare costs of the person like always and the Medicare supplement plan follows through by paying for all the payment gaps.

How much does Medicare Supplement Plan F cost?

This particular question is difficult to answer since the price of a Medicare Supplement Plan like this depends on many variables such as:

• Which state you purchase it in

• Which state you live in

• Your gender

• whether you are a smoker or not

 

Men may be charged more for the Medicare Supplement Plan F than women. Tobacco users are also charged more for these policies than non-smokers. It is also common for insurance companies to charge more to people from certain areas in the U.S.A than in other areas.

Some insurance companies even calculate their charges for Medicare Supplement Plan F policy on the amount of time they have been enrolled and covered by Medicare Plan B.

To have a comprehensive idea about how much payment for Plan/Part F is required from you; contact a few insurance companies in your area who sell the policy.

The key thing to remember here is that wherever you purchase it from the benefits offered by the Plan/Part F policies are the exact same everywhere. There may be a difference in premiums, coinsurance, deductibles, or copayments charged by the insurers; however, the coverage remains the same.

One straightforward way of lowering your payments for Medicare Supplement Plan F is to change locations i.e. moving to a place where the coverage costs are lower than your area.

This may not be feasible for many people however, so below are a few other options:

• compare prices (different insurance companies charge differently for the exact same plan, looking around in your area could save you some money)

• Asking for discounts or offers from your local insurance providers

• Quit the use of Tobacco

 

Can I enroll in Medicare Part F if I’m already enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B? Can I enroll in Medicare Part F if I’m enrolled in Medicare Part C or Medicare Advantage?

Essentially, you must have either Medicare Part A and B of Original Medicare to enroll in Plan/Part F. After all Plan F only exists because it can cover the costs that are not covered by Plan A and B.

On the other hand, if you are currently enrolled in Medicare Plan C or Medicare Advantage, you cannot enroll in the Medicare supplement Plan as well.

However, if you wish to switch from your Original Medicare Medicare supplement Plan to a Medicare Advantage Plan that provides similar coverage, you can do so. You must first let go of the Medicare supplement Plan before doing the switch though because the Medicare supplement will stop paying as soon as you enroll in Medicare Advantage.

No, you cannot enroll in any other Medicare supplement policies if you are already enrolled in one. In fact, insurers are only allowed to sell you one Medicare supplement plan. If you already have a Medicare supplement Plan they cannot sell you more.

What if I decide I’d want a different Medicare supplement plan? Can I switch from Medicare supplement Plan F to another plan whenever I want, or do I have to wait until a certain time? Or can I not switch at all?

Yes, you can switch your Medicare supplement Plan if you choose to but you almost always end up paying for it. So the more important question here is whether you should switch your Medicare supplement plan?

For e.g. a person who wants to switch their Medicare supplement plans may find that they don’t meet many requirements for the available Medicare supplement Plans. They will have to undergo a medical screening after which an insurer can sell them a plan. The result of this medical screening will determine how much more the person will have to pay for their new plan.

There is also a possibility that the person might not be permitted to switch their plans at all. Given such uncertainty, thorough research of all the Medicare supplement plans available in her/his area is recommended before enrolling in a policy. This way, changing plans will not be an issue.

Who should buy or enroll in Medicare Plan F? Or why should someone buy or enroll in this type of plan?

If you’re the kind of person who wants very few out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare while under the Original Medicare coverage, then the Medicare Plan F should bode well with you.

It is also the best policy for you if you like to cover all your bases. Plan F as a supplement policy to Medicare Parts A and B offers total coverage as you age over time.

Out of the 10 Medicare supplement plans available currently, Medicare Plan F provides the best coverage. However, it is expensive. It is, in fact, more expensive than all the other Medicare supplement policies that are available in the market.

It is advised that people research the cost of Plan F quoted by the insurance companies in their area however, before discarding Plan F as an expensive model. There is a possibility that the cost of Plan F and other Medicare supplement policies may be the same.

If you like having minimum monthly payments then you should enroll in High-deductible Plan F because under this plan you will have to pay lower premiums.

But the downside is that you will have more out-of-pocket expenses for medical care. So a person who is relatively healthy and does not fall sick quite as often can opt for this Plan.

Can anyone buy or enroll in Medicare Part F? Or who is eligible to enroll in Part F plans?

You can purchase Medicare Plan F under the conditions below:

 

• Your age is over 65. 

• You are covered by Medicare Part A and B

• You don’t have the Medicare Advantage Plan

• The Plan is sold in your ZIP code

 

It may be a bit difficult for you to buy any Medicare supplement Plan outside an enrollment period for Medicare. For e.g. you may be required to take a medical screening and pass it i.e. answer a few questions about your medical history). Moreover, you may also have to involve your physician or your doctor to help with the enrolment.

Additionally, if your age is under 65 and you have a Medical coverage because of a disability (or are suffering from a chronic renal disease), you might not be eligible to purchase any Medigap or Medicare supplement policy. Or at the very least, you might not get what you want.

 

If you qualify for the entire requirement list stated i.e. your age is under 65 and you don’t suffer from a chronic renal disease, you can purchase Medicare Plan F anytime you want. You would need to be enrolled in both Medicare Part A and Part B as well.

That being said, there is a perfect time to purchase Medicare supplement Plan F and it is during open enrollment for Medicare.

However, if you miss the open enrollment period, it will be more difficult for you to get the plan. The insurance company will require you to answer a few questions about your current and past medical records. And they will either refuse to sell you the Medicare supplement coverage or cause a huge dent in your wallet based on your answers to the questions.

Federal Governments enroll most Americans into the Medicare Part A and B coverage; however, this is not where you get your Medicare Plan/Part F.

Plan F or other Medicare supplement coverage must be purchased from an insurance company that has a license to sell such policies in your state.